Right flips Portugeese parliament in snap election as populists surge | Eastern NC Now

Portugal joined Europe's swing to the right as parties of the right triumphed in a snap parliamentary election triggered by the previous Socialist prime minister's resignation in a corruption scandal concerning "green" energy.  The party with the largest gain was the populist / nationalist anti-immigration Chega (Enough!) Party which has gained at least 34 seats more than the 12 it held previously. The biggest loser was the Socialist Party which may have lost as many as 45 seats..  Parties of the right finished in first, third, and fourth place in the high turnout election.

With 84% of the vote in and results not likely to change much, the traditional conservative Democratic Alliance led with 32.0% of the vote, up from 30.7% from the last election.  The Socialists were second with 28.7%, down from 41.4% in the last election.  In third place was Chega with 19.2%, up from 7.2% in the last election. Fourth place went to the center-right Liberal Initiative with 3.8%, followed by the Left Bloc, the Communists, and two tiny green parties.

Seats won at this point are: Democratic Alliance 77, Socialists 75, Chega 46, Liberal Initiative 8, Left Bloc 5, Communists 3, Livre 5, PAN 1.  In the last election, the Socialists won 120 of parliament's 230 seats for a majority.  The Democratic Alliance and Chega have won at least 123 seats between them, a clear majority.  Adding Liberal Initiative, the right has won at least 131 of parliament's 230 seats.

UPDATE:  Nearly final seat count: Democratic Alliance 79 (gain of 2), Socialists 77 (loss of 43), Chega 48 (gain of 36), Liberal Initiative 8 (no change), Left Bloc 5 (no change), Communists 4 (loss of 2), Livre 4 (gain of 3), PAN 1 (no change); seat total for right is 135 and for the left is 91. The four seats representing Portugeese citizens living abroad are the only seats still to be determined.  The Democratic Alliance is itself composed of three parties, the Peoples Party, the Popular Monarchist Party, and the Social Democratic Party (the latter in Portugal is a party of the right).

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/a-historic-day-for-portugal-as-populists-surge-to-electoral-breakthrough/

https://www.rmx.news/article/portugal-center-right-wins-election-right-wing-chega-party-surges/

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/03/11/populists-make-big-gains-in-portuguese-election-as-europe-shifts-right/