Portugal's center-right party claims narrow victory in early elections
Portugal's center-right party has emerged as the winner in an early general election, but falls short of securing a majority in parliament, according to official results released on Monday.
The Democratic Alliance narrowly surpassed the incumbent Socialists, garnering 29.49 percent of the vote compared to the Socialists' 28.66 percent, with only four seats yet to be assigned in the 230-seat parliament.
Sunday's election saw Portuguese voters deciding between a shift towards a center-right government or maintaining the center-left administration in power since 2015. However, neither side has obtained a full majority thus far.
The country currently grapples with pressing issues such as a challenging housing crisis, low wages, declining healthcare services, and widespread corruption, which many attribute to the mainstream parties. (ILKHA)