Despite concerns about electoral fatigue, participation appears to have increased in what was the third national election held in Portugal in the last three years. Sixty-four percent of registered voters took part, up from 59 percent in 2024.
Socialist support?
Montenegro has ruled out any sort of governing agreement with Chega, which means forming a minority government will likely require tacit support from the center left.
Last year, Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos opted for constructive collaboration and ordered his party to abstain in critical votes, which enabled Montenegro to both form a minority government and, later, pass a crucial budget bill.
Relations between the two main parties have soured in the wake of the failed confidence vote, and it’s unclear if the center left will be willing to permit the center right to govern this time around.
Portugal’s constitution doesn’t set a deadline for the formation of a new government, nor does it include any clause that would force the dissolution of parliament if lawmakers fail to confirm a new prime minister.
The constitution does, however, prohibit snap elections within six months of the vote and during the final six months of a presidential term. Given that President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s term concludes in March 2026, the earliest a fresh national election could be held is late spring of next year.
