Montenegro's minority government: A hard struggle for Portugal's future!

Montenegro's minority government: A hard struggle for Portugal's future!

Portugal - Luís Montenegro remains Prime Minister of Portugal. He was appointed again by state head Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa after his party, the Democratic Alliance (AD), had won the majority in the early parliamentary election on May 18, 2025, but failed the absolute majority. This reports op-online.de .

Montenegro now leads a minority government that acts in a political environment that has increasingly polarized. The AD only achieved 29.5 percent of the vote and won 91 of 230 seats. The right -wing populist party Chega was an important election winner and rose to 60 seats. The Socialist Party (PS) under Pedro Nuno Santos experienced a bitter defeat and falls on 58 seats, which resulted in its resignation. zdf.de emphasizes that Chega has even grown from 1.3 percent to almost 23 percent and thus regarded as consolidation of the radical rights can.

choice and constellations

The election situation has produced a result described as a "fragmented parliament of all time", in which three almost equally strong political camps are represented: left, conservative and radical rights. Political scientist João Carvalho warns that this could increase political instability. For the government of Montenegro, the upcoming constituent meeting of the new parliament, which takes place on June 3 or 5, could be decisive. If Montenegro cannot enforce his government program there, a blockade and possibly a new election threatens, which, according to the constitution, can take place after one year at the earliest. Euractiv.de stimulates that there have been three early elections that were shaped by an unstable political situation.

The possibility of cooperation with Chega is excluded for Montenegro, as is a “grand coalition” with the socialists. This illustrates his efforts to conduct a government without radical elements, while the socialists may continue to take on an oppositional role under a new chairman.

outlook on the political future

The political landscape in Portugal is now on a crossroads because observers warn of an uncertain future. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will have talks with the parties to achieve stable government formation. In view of the rise of Chega, the political coexistence between the people's parties and the socialists could become more important in order to isolate extreme rights.

The challenges for the new government are not only political in nature, but also affect confidence in the existing institutions that have been affected by scandals and instability in the past. The coming weeks and months will be crucial to determine whether Montenegro can produce stability that Portugal urgently needs.