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Ruling Portugal center-right coalition loses majority after election win
http://www.dw.com/en/ruling-portugal-center-right-coalition-loses-majority-after-election-win/a-18760979Portugal's ruling coalition has lost its outright majority in parliament following the general election. The poll was seen as a referendum on unpopular austerity policies.
Ruling Portugal center-right coalition loses majority after election win
04.10.2015
Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said he was ready to form a new government , despite his center-right coalition losing its absolute parliamentary majority on Sunday.
The "Portugal Forward" coalition received 37 percent of the vote, compared with 32 percent for the main opposition center-left Socialists.
The alliance now faces difficult talks to broaden the coalition. Before the election, the opposition had vowed not to support a conservative minority government or approve another austerity budget for 2016.
~snip~
Portugal received a 78-billion-euro ($87-billion) bailout in 2011 at the height of the EU financial crisis. Its austerity plan cut pensions and public services while increasing taxes, policies which propelled Portugal into a three-year recession.