Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has appointed Luis Montenegro, leader of the Democratic Alliance (AD), as the new prime minister, following the AD’s narrow victory in the recent parliamentary election, Reuters reports.
AD emerged as the largest party with 80 seats in the 230-seat legislature followed by the Socialists at 78 seats and Chega with 50 seats. Despite falling short of a working majority, Montenegro has declined to form a broad coalition with the far-right Chega party, which gained significant parliamentary representation. AD will likely depend on ad-hoc agreements with Chega or left-wing parties to pass legislation, potentially leading to instability.
The 2025 budget will be a critical test for the AD government, with potential rejection leading to early elections. Chega’s leader Andre Ventura has threatened to oppose the budget but indicated support for some of Montenegro’s proposed initiatives. Meanwhile, the Socialist party is open to negotiating measures to address healthcare, education, and security concerns.
