Portuguese Socialist party wins outright majority

General elections were held in Portugal on the 30th January 2022 in order to elect the new Portuguese Prime Minister and the Socialist Party won with an unexpected outright majority.

This election was called since the former Socialist Portuguese Government missed having its 2022 budget approved by the majority of the Members of Parliament. What no one anticipated, was that the same centre-left party whose government was dissolved, would not only be elected again, but also with such strength.

Furthermore, the two far-left parties lost more than a half of their seats, the far-right party is now the third largest party in parliament and the liberal party registered a big increase in their share of the vote.

This means the new Government will no longer need to negotiate with other parties to get its budget approved and decision-making can be done smoothly along its term. This is a good sign for a more stable Government, which is essential for economy recovery and the efficient application of  EU funds.