Portugal’s ruling Socialists expanded their lead in a new poll on Sunday, two weeks before the snap elections, widening their gap with the main opposition Social Democrats, Reuters reported.
The poll, conducted by Aximage for the newspapers Jornal de Noticias, Diario de Noticias and the radio station TSF, gave incumbent Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s Partido Socialista 38.1%, up from 35.4% last month.
Even with this percentage the PS is far from autonomous because according to the current electoral system of Portugal it will have to collect a percentage between 42-45%.
The poll puts the Social Democrats (PSD), led by Rui Rio, at 28.5%, up from 33.2% in December. The PS and PSD are now about 10 percentage points apart, according to the survey.
In October, Costa’s two former allies – the Communists and the Left Bloc – sided with right-wing parties to reject the government’s budget bill, prompting early elections set for January 30th.
If the PS fails to score, it will need the support of one or more parties to pass the law.
The Left Bloc and the Communists scored 7.4% and 4.8% respectively in the Aximage poll.
In a debate last week, Costa said an alliance between the three was no longer possible, but hinted that he could seek support from the Portuguese Party for Animals (PAN). The Aximage poll gave them 2.1% of the vote.
Analysts point out that the elections alone may not solve the political stalemate, as no party or functional alliance is likely to win a stable majority.
According to the poll, which polled 807 people from January 6 to 12 with a margin of error of 3.45%, the far-right Chega party will become the third largest party in the country, with 9%, up from 6.2% in December. .
.
Source From: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
