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The Socialists lost by two seats — just two — and Portugal's prime minister had
2024 Event

March 10

Portugal Election Upends Politics: Socialists Lose After PM Corruption Scandal

The Socialists lost by two seats — just two — and Portugal's prime minister had already resigned two months earlier over a corruption scandal involving lithium mining contracts. António Costa, who'd governed since 2015, walked away before voters could push him out, leaving his party to fight without its leader. The center-right Social Democrats won 79 seats to the Socialists' 77, but here's the twist: neither could govern alone. The far-right Chega party grabbed 50 seats, becoming the third-largest force and suddenly holding all the cards. Portugal, once praised as Europe's stable exception during the populist wave, wasn't so exceptional anymore. Sometimes the story isn't who wins — it's who gets to play kingmaker.

March 10, 2024

2 years ago

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