Portugal headed for another minority government after vote won by incumbent center-right party

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal was headed for yet another minority government after the incumbent center-right Democratic Alliance won a general election but failed to secure a majority in Parliament in a vote that saw surge by a hard-right populist party.

Democratic Alliance leader Luis Montenegro, the incumbent prime minister, said he was willing to discuss solutions with other parties.

Portugal’s third general election in three years Sunday dashed hopes that the ballot could end the worst spell of political instability for decades in the European Union country of 10.6 million people.

Adding uncertainty to Portugal's electoral climate, a surge in support for the Chega, or Enough, meant the hard-right party may yet claim second place with its focus on curbing immigration and cracking down on corruption, challenging the center-left socialists as Portugal’s second-biggest party.

With 99.2% of votes counted, the Democratic Alliance captured at least 89 seats in the 230-seat National Assembly, Portugal’s Parliament. It had been in power for less than a year when it was ousted in a confidence vote in March. It collected 80 seats in last year’s election and served as a minority government.

Montenegro indicated he would be open to political deals with opposition parties.

“We all have to be able to speak to each other and put the national interest first,” he said in a post-election speech to supporters.

Seven smaller parties also won seats.

Without a majority of seats the Democratic Alliance, led by the Social Democratic Party, can try to recruit support from smaller parties, currently seen as unlikely, or take office as a minority government as it did during its last term. That leaves it at the mercy of opposition parties combining to bring it down, as happened two months ago.

Public frustration with Portugal’s main parties has brought an increasingly fragmented political landscape and defied efforts to unite behind policies on pressing national issues such as immigration, housing and the cost of living.

In a dramatic demonstration of the changing complexion of Portuguese politics, support for the populist party Chega surged once again. It collected at least 58 seats, up from 50 seats last year, and is challenging the center-left socialists as Portugal’s second-biggest party.

Chega competed in its first election just six years ago, when it won one seat, and has fed off disaffection with the more moderate traditional parties. Campaigning under the slogan “Save Portugal,” it describes itself as a nationalist party and has drawn on the popularity of its leader, lawyer and former soccer pundit Andre Ventura.

“This is my moment,” Ventura said. “It’s a great victory for Chega.”

He opened the door to an understanding with the Democratic Alliance, saying the country needs stability.

For the past 50 years, the Social Democrats and the Socialist Party have alternated in power.

The socialists were contemplating possibly their worst result since 1987, also gaining 58 seats. Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos announced he was standing down.

The Democratic Alliance, which also includes the smaller Popular Party, lost a confidence vote in parliament in March after less than a year in power, as opposition lawmakers teamed up against it. That triggered an early election, which had been due in 2028.

The confidence vote was sparked by a political storm around potential conflicts of interest in the business dealings of Social Democratic Prime Minister Luís Montenegro’s family law firm. Montenegro has denied any wrongdoing and is standing for reelection.

Corruption scandals have dogged Portuguese politics in recent years. That has helped fuel the rise of Chega, whose leader Ventura says he has “zero tolerance” for misconduct in office.

But Chega has recently fallen foul of its own lawmakers’ alleged wrongdoing.

One is suspected of stealing suitcases from the Lisbon airport and selling the contents online, and another allegedly faked the signature of a dead woman. Both resigned.

Chega owes much of its success to its demands for a tighter immigration policy that have resonated with voters.

Portugal has witnessed a steep rise in immigration. In 2018, there were fewer than a half-million legal immigrants in the country, according to government statistics. By early this year, there were more than 1.5 million, many of them Brazilians and Asians working in tourism and farming.

Thousands more lack the proper documents to be in Portugal. The outgoing government announced two weeks before the election that it was expelling about 18,000 foreigners living in the country without authorization. Though such a step is routine, the timing drew accusations that it was trying to capture votes from Chega.

Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, who is also standing for prime minister, described the move as a “Trumpification” of Portuguese politics, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s focus on immigration policies.

A housing crisis has also fired up debate. House prices and rents have been soaring for the past 10 years, due in part to an influx of white-collar foreigners who have driven up prices.

House prices jumped another 9% last year, said the National Statistics Institute, a government body. Rents in and around the capital Lisbon, where around 1.5 million people live, last year saw the steepest rise in 30 years, climbing more than 7%, the institute said.

The problem is compounded by Portugal being one of Western Europe’s poorest countries. The average monthly salary last year was around 1,200 euros ($1,340) before tax, according to the statistics agency.

Socialist Party secretary general Pedro Nuno Santos holds his ballot when voting in Portugal's general election at a polling station in Lisbon, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

"The hard-right populist party Chega" leader Andre Ventura holds a Portugal's flag following Portugal's general election, in Lisbon, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the center-right Social Democratic Party Luis Montenegro casts his ballot in Portugal's general election at polling station in Espinho, Portugal, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)

Incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the center-right Social Democratic Party Luis Montenegro gestures while addressing his supporters following Portugal's general election, in Lisbon, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.

Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”

Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)