Montenegro said the government is determined to govern until the end of its four-and-a-half-year term and promised to act with “humility, patriotic spirit and capacity for dialogue” and will demand the same from the opposition.
“The (expected) parliamentary investiture (next week) in these circumstances should only mean that the oppositions will respect the principle of letting us work and execute the government program,” he said.
With just 80 seats in a Parliament with 230 seats, the AD will need support from the far-right Chega party, which quadrupled its parliamentary representation to 50 seats, or from the center-left PS, which got 78, to approve legislation .
“The odds are against political stability because the government has one of the smallest relative majorities in democracy and faces fierce opposition from a stronger ultra-right,” said André Freire, a political scientist at the Lisbon University Institute.
Chega, an anti-immigration party whose rapid rise reflects a political tilt toward right-wing populism in Europe, has demanded a role in government or a long-term agreement to support the AD, but Montenegro has refused to even open negotiations.
Montenegro’s precarious position was exposed last week when Chega rejected its candidate for the Presidency of Parliament, who ended up being elected with the help of the PS. The PS warned, however, that this support was an isolated case to unblock parliamentary activities.
Tags: Portugals minority government takes office stability doubt
