The leader of Portugal's right-wing party, André Ventura, voted in Lisbon on Sunday (March 10) as voters face a choice between switching to a center-right government or keeping the center-left in power.
The election is unlikely to produce a clear winner, opinion polls show, and the Chega party could play a decisive role in subsequent coalition negotiations as the country prepares to celebrate 50 years since the fall of the fascist dictatorship.
The populist, anti-establishment Chega party was created just five years ago. They became Portugal's third-largest parliamentary force in the 2022 elections when they won 7% of the vote, and opinion polls show they could almost triple that result this time.
The issues dominating the campaign in Western Europe's poorest country include a crippling housing crisis, low wages, poor healthcare and corruption, seen by many as endemic to the main parties.
The polling stations opened at 8am (5am Brasília time) and closed at 7pm (4pm Brasília time) in mainland Portugal and an hour later in the Azores archipelago. Results are expected around midnight (9 p.m. Brasília time).
The leader of the Socialist Party of Portugal (PS), Pedro Nuno Santos, also voted in Lisbon this Sunday (10).
The ruling PS, now led by Santos following the resignation of António Costa, could attempt a repeat of their old alliances with the Bloco de Esquerda and the communists that allowed them to govern between 2015 and 2019, if the combined left wins more than 115 seats in the parliament of 230 seats.
The right-wing Chega party has grown in influence and could play a role in post-election negotiations.
Source: CNN Brasil
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