Immigration and cost of living crisis on agenda as voters head to polling booths to elect the next government.
Voting is under way in the general election in Portugal – its third vote in as many years – with immigration and cost of living crisis being the biggest talking points during the campaigning.
Sunday’s snap election was 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 show Montenegro’s Democratic Alliance set to win the most votes on Sunday and potentially pick up extra seats, ahead of its main rival, the centre-left Socialist Party.
But Montenegro’s party is predicted to fall short again of the 116 seats needed for a majority in Portugal’s parliament.
Polls show the far-right Chega party, which opposes immigration, abortion, and LGBTQ rights, set 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 election.
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 draw an end to 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 that 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.