Voting is under way in a general election in Portugal – its third vote in as many years – with immigration and the cost of living crisis the biggest talking points during the campaign.
Sunday’s snap elections were called after Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who leads the centre-right Democratic Alliance, lost a parliamentary vote of confidence in March, just a year into his minority government’s term.
Montenegro called the vote in response to accusations of conflicts of interest over the activities of his family’s consulting firm. He denied any wrongdoing.
Despite the controversy, opinion polls suggested the Democratic Alliance is set to win the most votes ahead of its main rival, the centre-left Socialist Party, and potentially pick up extra seats.
But Montenegro’s party is predicted to fall short again of the 116 seats needed for a majority in parliament.
Polls indicated the far-right Chega party – which opposes immigration, abortion and LGBTQ rights – is to finish in third place, giving it a possible kingmaker role. But Montenegro has ruled out working with Chega, which won 50 seats in last year’s elections.
The economy, immigration and Portugal’s housing crisis were major issues on the campaign trail while Montenegro appealed directly to voters to give him a strong mandate to end the political instability.
“We have to do our part at home, and we have to be part of the solutions abroad, in Europe and in the world. And for that, we need a strong government,” he told a rally in Lisbon on Friday.
Shortly after voting on Sunday, he told reporters that he was confident the country could achieve stable governance.
“There is a search for a stable solution, but that will now depend on [people’s] choices,” he said.
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