Portugal's election winner expects president to name him PM

Chega's leader Andre Ventura has demanded a government role in exchange for support, meaning Montenegro's administration would have to negotiate with other parties to pass legislation on a case-by-case basis. The AD has so far won 79 seats in the 230-seat legislature, which is expected to hold its first session next week, followed by the Socialists' 77 seats and Chega with 48.

The leader of Portugal's rightist Democratic Alliance (AD), which won a general election by a slim margin on March 10, said on Wednesday he expected the president to invite him to form a minority government. "On behalf of the AD we expressed our willingness to take on the leadership of the government and to be appointed prime minister," Luis Montenegro told reporters after meeting conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Montenegro expected the formal nomination once the remaining ballots from abroad have been counted, which is likely to happen in a few hours. According to the electoral commission, around 71% of overseas votes have been counted. For over a week, the president has been consulting with leaders of main political parties. His office has said he will not announce who will be invited to form a government until all the results are known.

On Tuesday, Rebelo de Sousa met Pedro Nuno Santos of the runner-up Socialist Party, who said he expected Montenegro to be nominated to head the government. The far-right Chega party came third, quadrupling its parliamentary representation and emerging as kingmaker after campaigning on a clean governance and anti-immigration platform - a first in a country since its return to democracy 50 years ago.

Montenegro has repeatedly said he would not strike a deal with the populist Chega, reiterating on Wednesday the AD was prepared to govern on its own. Chega's leader Andre Ventura has demanded a government role in exchange for support, meaning Montenegro's administration would have to negotiate with other parties to pass legislation on a case-by-case basis.

The AD has so far won 79 seats in the 230-seat legislature, which is expected to hold its first session next week, followed by the Socialists' 77 seats and Chega with 48. Four more parliamentary seats are yet to be allocated. The government could be sworn in during the first week of April and must present its programme to parliament within 10 days of that date, which is automatically approved unless parliament holds a vote to reject it.

Analysts expect an AD government will be allowed to take over, and see the 2025 budget as its first survival test towards the end of this year. A rejected budget could lead to a new election. Chega's Ventura has threatened to vote against the bill if the AD does not negotiate with his party.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)