Portugal votes on Sunday with Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s Socialists tipped to win a second straight term after presiding over a period of solid economic growth following years of austerity.
Costa‘s likely re-election bucks the trend of declining centre-left fortunes and the rise of far-right, populist parties seen elsewhere in Europe.
Final opinion polls published Friday put support for the Socialist Party (PS) — which has governed for the past four years with the backing in parliament of two smaller hard-left parties — at 36-39 percent, compared to 25-30 percent for nearest rivals the centre-right Social Democrats (PSD).
If these results are confirmed the PS would boost their number in Portugal‘s 230-seat parliament but still fall short of an absolute majority, meaning former Lisbon mayor Costa would once again need the support of at least one other leftist party to govern.
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Growth up, deficit down
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