When over 99 percent of the votes have been counted, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's center-right alliance Democratic Alliance (AD) is expected to become the largest party, holding at least 89 seats out of the parliament's total 230.
However, it is clear that they will fall short of the 116 seats required for a majority – which will once again make it difficult for Montenegro to resolve the country's political instability with a potential minority government.
The far-right party Chega made gains again and secured 58 seats in parliament, four more than in the previous election in March 2024. Chega is thus on par with the Socialists (PS) in the battle to become the country's second-largest party.
The latter achieved their worst election result since 1987, with 58 mandates in parliament. Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos is resigning following the result, he announces.
I will call for an internal election in the party, in which I will not be a candidate, he says at the election night.
Forced to Resign
Several smaller parties also secured seats in parliament.
Luís Montenegro was forced to resign as recently as March after losing a confidence vote. The confidence vote concerned suspicions of a conflict of interest regarding a law firm with ties to the Prime Minister.
Montenegro is formally the party leader of PSD, which leads the Democratic Alliance. However, Montenegro's minority government had difficulty driving its policy, as the Socialists (PS) and the far-right party Chega questioned the government's policy.
Closed the Right Door
In the election in March 2024, the alliance chose not to cooperate with PS, and it is uncertain whether there is room for new negotiations with the party after the election.
The far-right party Chega is not considered a likely governing party either. The 52-year-old Montenegro has called the far-right party "unreliable" and "not fit to govern".
Furthermore, Chega's party leader, the former sports commentator André Ventura, has been affected by stomach problems that forced him to cancel election meetings after collapsing, and questions are being raised about his health.
