Last year, Pedro Nuno Santos, leader of Portugal’s Socialist Party, took a cooperative approach by instructing his party to abstain from key votes. This move allowed Luís Montenegro to establish a minority government and later push through a critical budget bill.
However, the political landscape has since shifted. Tensions have risen between the country’s two major parties following the failure of a confidence vote in March. As a result, it’s uncertain whether the center-left Socialists will again give the center-right the space to govern.
Portugal’s constitution does not impose a deadline for forming a new government and offers no mechanism to automatically dissolve parliament if a new prime minister isn’t confirmed. Still, the document does prohibit snap elections within six months of a previous vote and during the final six months of a president’s term. Since President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s term ends in March 2026, the earliest any new national election could occur would be late spring 2025.
Ahead of Sunday’s exit polls, Socialist Party President Carlos César admitted that the party appeared headed for defeat. He stated that the Socialists would not attempt to form a government unless they secured the most votes.
“If the voters choose us, we’ll be very happy,” César told public broadcaster RTP. “But if they don’t, we must respect their decision.”
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