LISBON: Voters in Portugal went to the polls on Sunday in an early election that could see the country join a shift to the right across Europe after eight years of Socialist rule.

Final opinion polls published on Friday put the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) narrowly ahead of the Socialist Party (PS) but short of an outright majority in parliament, which could make the far-right Chega the kingmaker for a coalition government.

But analysts warned the results of the election, Portugal’s second in two years, remained wide open given the large number of undecided voters. Exit poll projections are expected at 8pm.

“These elections represent a possible change, there would be little point in doing otherwise,” Pedro Resende, a 56-year-old security officer, said at a polling station in Telheiras, a modern, upper-middle-class neighbourhood in northern Lisbon.

The AD has campaigned on promises to boost economic growth by cutting taxes and to improve public services. The party’s leader, 51-year-old lawyer Luis Montenegro, said he was “hopeful about the future” after he cast his vote in the northern town of Espinho.

Voter turnout stood at 25.2 per cent by midday, up from 23.3pc at the same point during the last election in 2022. Montenegro has ruled out any post-election agreement with Chega, but other top AD officials have been more ambiguous. Analysts say a deal with the anti-establishment party may prove the only way for the AD to govern.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2024