Portugal's third general election in three years dashed hopes the ballot could end the worst spell of political instability for decades in the European Union country of 10.6 million people.
Also, a surge in support for the hard-right populist party Chega (Enough), which may yet claim second place with its focus on curbing immigration and cracking down on corruption, added further uncertainty to Portugal's political climate.
With 99 per cent of votes counted, the Democratic Alliance captured at least 81 seats in the 230-seat National Assembly, Portugal's parliament.
It had been in power for less than a year when it was ousted in a confidence vote in March. It collected 80 seats in the 2024 election and served as a minority government.
Three smaller parties also got seats. The seat allocation meant that the Democratic Alliance (AD) couldn't be overtaken when the final results are compiled. Official results showed 24 seats remained to be allocated.
Without a majority of seats the Democratic Alliance, led by the Social Democratic Party, can try to recruit support from smaller parties, currently seen as unlikely, or take office as a minority government as it did during its last term.
That leaves it at the mercy of opposition parties combining to bring it down, as happened two months ago.
The election was called just one year into the minority government's term after Prime Minister Luis Montenegro failed to win a parliamentary vote of confidence in March when the opposition questioned his integrity over dealings of his family's consultancy firm.
Montenegro has denied any wrongdoing and most opinion polls showed voters have dismissed the opposition's criticism.
The election, also dominated by issues such as housing and immigration, follows a decade of fragile governments; the only one of which to have a parliamentary majority still collapsed halfway through its term last year.
Political scientist Antonio Costa Pinto said the new parliament would likely be similar to the last, and it was impossible to predict how long the government would last, as it depended on factors ranging from the international situation to the AD's ability to reach deals with other parties.
"The only doubt is whether the AD will form a new minority government ... or whether it will form a post-electoral coalition with IL, even if this coalition does not guarantee an absolute majority," he said, referring to the pro-business Liberal Initiative (IL) party.
With AP
