Exit polls suggest a coalition of Portuguese centre-right parties is on course to narrowly defeat the incumbent socialists but fall well short of a majority in Sunday’s closely-fought snap general election, with the far-right Chega party looking set to double its share of the vote and finish third.
Three polls, published shortly after voting ended at 8pm local time, suggest the Democratic Alliance – an electoral platform made up of the large Social Democratic party (PSD) and two smaller conservative parties – is set to finish ahead of the Socialist party (PS).
Chega is projected to come in third with a massively increased share of the vote, raising the prospect that it could act as a king-maker in the formation a new, centre-right administration.