- Title: Portugal's PM Costa says won election, to stick to pact with far-left
- Date: 7th October 2019
- Summary: SOCIALISTS CHANTING PORTUGAL'S ANTHEM
- Embargoed: 21st October 2019 01:38
- Keywords: Portugal elections polls elections Antonio Costa Socialist party PSD leader Rui Rio
- Location: LISBON, PORTUGAL
- City: LISBON, PORTUGAL
- Country: Portugal
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA002AZYJZGN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Portugal's ruling Socialists (PS) won Sunday's (October 6) parliamentary election but fell short of an outright majority, meaning Prime Minister Antonio Costa will need to negotiate a new deal with one or both of his far-left allies in the previous legislature.
"It's clear from this election that the PS is reinforced and the allied parties consolidated their positions," Costa told supporters chanting "Victory! Victory."
"The Portuguese liked our arrangement. It would be desirable to renew it, but it does not depend on us. Our firm will is to negotiate," he said.
Negotiations are not expected to be as messy or as long as in neighbouring Spain, which still has no government more than five months after elections and is heading for a repeat vote in November.
Costa has benefited from an economy that is growing more than the EU average, helped by increased exports and a booming tourism industry that last year saw visitors outnumber Portugal's inhabitants.
Leaders of the Left Bloc and the Communists, which have backed Costa since the last election in 2015, both said they had no objections to him being nominated as premier and were open to negotiate if the Socialists committed to improving the lives of workers.
With most of the votes counted, the Socialists led with 106 seats. This meant they were first but, with only four seats still not accounted for, they cannot reach the full majority of 116 seats in the 230-seat assembly.
The main opposition Social Democrats (PSD) won 28% of the votes and at least 77 seats, according to preliminary results.
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