Portugal's Socialists claim election victory, likely fall short of majority

LISBON (REUTERS) - Portugal's ruling Socialists scored "a great victory" in Sunday's (Oct 6) parliamentary election and will seek to form a stable government for the four-year legislature, senior Socialist lawmaker Ana Catarina Mendes said as exit polls were published.

Exit polls showed the Socialists won but likely fell just shy of an outright majority.

The main question now is who Prime Minister Antonio Costa will pick as allies to stay in power.

Official results will trickle in through the evening.

The range of percentages of votes given by the pollsters were quite wide. Depending on how close the outcome eventually is, a clear picture could emerge quickly or take days or even weeks.

At the Socialist party (PS) election rally, supporters stood up cheering as the exit polls were published.

"It's a great victory for the PS, that's what has to be underscored. The party will seek to have a stable four-year government solution for Portugal," Mendes, the PS's deputy secretary general, told supporters.

The four exit polls put the Socialists in a range of 33.3-40%, and while it was not immediately clear if even the most optimistic scenario could deliver a full majority, it would in any case give them more seats than in the last election, in 2015.

"We got stronger from this election and we will be able to continue with our policies," said 25-year old party supporter Miguel Matos.

Costa was seen as having been boosted by the southern European country's economy. It is growing more than EU average, helped by export growth and a booming tourism industry that last year saw more tourists visit Portugal than its number of inhabitants.

Post-election negotiations are not expected to be as messy as in neighbouring Spain, which still has no government more than five months after elections and is heading for a repeat poll in November.

In 2015, it took less than two months for Costa, whose party had actually come second, behind the PSD, to strike an unexpected alliance with two far-left, Eurosceptic parties, the Left Bloc and the Communists and be sworn in as prime minister.

Since the last election, the People-Animals-Nature party (PAN), riding a wave of popularity of pro-environment parties in much of Europe. It was not immediately clear if it could become a kingmaker, landing in a range of 2.3%-5.3% of the vote.

"It's a very good result. I still wish it was more, because the country needs to move quickly to tackle the climate emergency. But with just a few representatives I'm confident PAN can be effective," PAN supporter Paulo Santos, 43, said at the party's evening rally.

The main opposition Social Democrats (PSD) were on 24.2%-31%.

The ranges were based on exit polls by pollsters Pitagorica for TSF/TVI, Catolica for RTP television, Intercampus for Correio da Manha/Negocios newspapers and ICS-ISCTE for SIC TV and Expresso weekly.