Portugal’s center-right wins an election but surging populists want a say in the government

By BARRY HATTON
Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A center-right alliance led by the Social Democratic Party has won Portugal’s general election by a slender margin. It is set to form a minority government that could have a difficult term in office as a radical-right populist party that came third in the voting tries to get a hand on the levers of power. Results published late Wednesday after votes from abroad were counted in the March 10 balloting gave the Democratic Alliance 80 seats in the 230-seat National Assembly, Portugal’s parliament. The center-left Socialist Party placed second with 78 seats. The hard-right Chega (Enough) party collected 50 seats, up from 12 seats in a 2022 election, in a staggering surge that upends traditional politics in Portugal.