Socialists ahead in polls despite all

“Socialists increase lead over Social Democrats,” headlines the Diário de Notícias two days away from Portugal’s general elections. Incumbent prime minister José Sócrates’ Socialist Party bids fair to take 38% of the vote according to a poll published in the Lisbon daily, as against 30% for the conservative opposition Social Democrats (PSD) led by Manuela Ferreira Leite. “Sócrates is asking his supporters to keep calm,” reports the paper: he knows he has no shot at the absolute majority he won in 2005, seeing as his administration is fairly unpopular. But nothing is decided yet and Ferreira Leite says she is “thoroughly convinced” she will win. As to the other parties currently in the Portuguese parliament, the anticapitalist Left Bloc (BE) could come in third ahead of the People’s Party (right-wing) and the Communists, who are running neck and neck.

So who is going to run the country? Diário de Notícias explains that the PS or PSD could take the helm even with a minority mandate, but various alliances may still be in the cards.