Luis Montenegro, the head of Portugal's center-right Democratic Alliance (AD), said that his party had won the general election on Sunday. However, it remained uncertain if AD could govern without the backing of the far-right Chega, with whom he had once again declined to negotiate.
With a more than fourfold increase in Chega's parliamentary representation, the combined right now holds a majority in the 230-seat legislature with at least 48 legislators.
The outcome highlights Europe's political shift to the far right. After a fascist dictatorship ended 50 years ago, Portugal was thought to be immune to the growth of right-wing populism throughout the continent. This is likely to benefit far-right parties in June's European elections.
Earlier, Pedro Nuno Santos, the biggest opponent of Montenegro, announced his defeat as his left-leaning Socialist Party (PS), which has been in power since 2015, just missed the top spot. His support for the AD's agenda, which calls for universal tax reduction, was ruled out.
In the early hours of Monday, Montenegro declared to a throng of jubilant supporters that the AD had won the election. He went on to emphasize the importance of the new parliament's parties acting properly and carrying out the will of the Portuguese people.
He reiterated his electoral pledge of not relying on assistance from right-wing populists in order to govern, but he also voiced hope that the PS and Chega would not create a hostile coalition to thwart the Portuguese government's wishes.
In the Madeira region, the AD and its conservative partners secured a minimum of 79 seats, surpassing the 77 seats obtained by the PS.
Four seats remained unassigned after the final tallying of votes abroad.
Santos said that the opposition could not be kept in Chega's hands and that his party was going to take the lead now.
Using an anti-establishment slogan, the far-right party pledged to eradicate corruption and voiced opposition to what it saw as "excessive" immigration.
Andre Ventura, the leader of Chega, told reporters that the results of Sunday's vote unequivocally demonstrated the Portuguese desire for an AD administration led by Chega. He had already declared that Montenegro would be held accountable for any political unrest if he kept refusing to negotiate.
During the election night celebration, Paula Medeiros, an AD supporter, stated that instability will undoubtedly persist.
In this poorest nation in western Europe, issues prevailing in the campaign include a dire housing problem, inadequate wages, inadequate healthcare, and widespread corruption, which many believe to be a feature of mainstream parties.
However, Portugal has experienced strong annual growth rates above 2% under the socialist government, as well as recent budget surpluses. With the money from these developments, the public debt has been reduced to less than 100% of GDP, earning acclaim from investors and Brussels, who do not anticipate the AD straying from its prudent fiscal course.