Portugal: President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has appointed Luis Montenegro, leader of the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), as Portuguese new PM. The AD chief was invited to form a minority government.
The Democratic Alliance won the snap general election against the incumbent Socialists. Montenegro constantly said that the party is ready to rule on its own and will not negotiate a wider formal contract to work together with the far-right Chega party.
For the first time since the fall of a fascist dictatorship 50 years ago, Chega arose as a political force after a far-right party quadrupled its parliamentary representation. An AD government’s passage of rulings will rely on piecemeal agreements with Chega or the Left in Parliament, which is likely to be volatile.
As a result of the Electoral Commission’s analysis of the remaining ballots from abroad, Chega received two extra seats and AD and the Socialists each received one. The nomination of conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza was widely expected.
A total of 80 seats were won by the AD in the 230-seat legislature. The Socialists won 78 seats and Chega, which was founded five years ago, won 50 seats.
The president’s office stated that, “The AD won the election. So, the president decided to nominate Luis Montenegro as prime minister.” In June’s European elections, far-right parties are expected to gain power due to a political tilt toward right-wing populism and a dwindling of socialist governance across Europe.
Announcing his appointment as premier, Montenegro stated that the new government would take office in April. Within 10 days of its sworn in, the government must present the program to Parliament, which is automatically approved unless Parliament votes it down. According to Montenegro, he will present Rebelo de Sousa with his cabinet of ministers.
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