AD Leader Luis Montenegro Appointed PM, Now Needs To Find Support

Luis Montenegro, leader of the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) has been appointed as the prime minister designate following a late night meeting with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. This follows the final counting of ballots from the Portuguese abroad constituencies following the 10 March general election. The PM-designate is set to be sworn-in on 2 April.

• The gov't then has 10 days to put together a programme for governing that is approved automatically unless parliament votes to reject it. The now-main opposition centre-left Socialist Party (PS) leader Pedro Nuno Santos has stated that his party will not block Montenegro's gov't from forming, meaning the minority administration will take office.
• The first major hurdle then for Montenegro's minority gov't will be the 2025 budget. Because of its minority status the AD will be reliant on one of two options: gaining the backing of the PS and potentially other parties of the left, or gaining the backing of the third-largest party in parliament, the right-wing Chega (Enough).
• Montenegro has insisted on multiple occasions that he will not countenance working with Chega, which now sits on 50 seats compared to the AD's 80 and PS' 78. However, should the PS' demands prove too outlandish, Montenegro could find himself under pressure from the right of his centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) - the largest party in the AD alliance - to work with Chega in order to enact a conservative policy agenda.