Antonio Costa to stay in power after Portugal poll win

Four seats in the 230-member assembly were yet to be declared but Costa, who leads the Socialist party (PS), has begun the process of forming a government with outside support.

Antonio Costa, the Indian-origin prime minister of Portugal who provided stability to the economically challenged country over the last four years, is poised to remain in power after his party won 106 seats in the general election on Sunday.

Portugal's Prime Minister and Socialist Party (PS) candidate Antonio Costa reacts after preliminary results in the general election in Lisbon, Portugal, October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Jon Nazca (REUTERS)

Four seats in the 230-member assembly were yet to be declared but Costa, who leads the Socialist party (PS), has begun the process of forming a government with outside support. The PS won 36.5 per cent of the votes, increasing its tally from 86 in 2015 to 106.

The main opposition party, the centre-right Social Democratic Party, lost seats, from 89 in the 2015 election to 77, reflecting the continuing influence of the socialists in Portugal at a time when populist and right-wing parties are gaining ground elsewhere in Europe.

Costa, 58, said he has begun the task of forming the new government: “We accept the task of ruling Portugal for the next four years with determination and responsibility…Political stability is essential for Portugal’s international credibility”.

Lisbon-based observers say that Costa’s biggest achievement has been providing political stability, which aided economic growth. His tenure has seen the return of a largme number of professionals who had left the country due to lack of job opportunities. A boom in tourism and wider recovery in Europe also helped.

A popular former mayor of Lisbon, Costa was presented the Overseas Citizen of India card by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a brief visit to Lisbon in June 2017. He visited his ancestral home in Goa in early 2017.