Portugal Government Loses Confidence Vote, Possibly Setting Up New Elections

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published March 12, 2025 | 10:40 AM

Lisbon, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Mar, 2025) Portugal could be heading to its third general election in three years after the centre-right government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro lost a vote of confidence on Tuesday evening.

The vote was called over conflict-of-interest accusations against Montenegro involving a family business. A last-minute attempt to avoid the vote failed when terms could not be agreed for setting up a mooted parliamentary inquiry.

The government "tried everything right up to the last minute to avoid snap elections," Montenegro said when leaving parliament.

The Socialist Party (PS), the main opposition party, and the far-right Chega party both voted to bring down the government.

The country's president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, must now decide whether to dissolve the assembly and call new elections.

Montenegro, 52, in office for less than a year, told the start of a parliamentary debate on a vote of no-confidence that "I have committed no crime".

Parliament debated the confidence motion for more than three hours, with the PS insisting that Montenegro cooperate with a special parliamentary inquiry into the business affairs of his family.