Portugal goes to polls for 3rd time in less than 4 years to elect government

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Voting began Sunday in Portugal's snap elections, the third in less than four years, to elect a new government.

Voters will cast votes to elect 230 seats, which were allocated in 22 constituencies by the election system that is the d’Hondt method -- appointing seats in parliament among federal states or in proportional representation among parties.

Opinion surveys predict a neck-and-neck race between the centrist Democratic Alliance (AD), led by the Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, and the Socialist Party (PS), led by Pedro Nuno Santos, with both parties polling at around 30%.

While the far-right Chega party is forecast to be the third-largest in parliament with 18 - 20%, the Liberal Initiative (IL), Left Bloc (BE) and Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) are also expected to win seats.

As no party is expected to win 116 seats, which are required to form a majority government, a minority government is expected to be formed.

The election was triggered by the collapse of Montenegro’s center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) minority government, which lost a confidence vote March 11 amid allegations of conflicts of interest involving Montenegro’s family business, Spinumviva.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dissolved parliament and called the election March 13.