Socialists Take Back Leadership in Portugal

LISBON — After a decade out of power, the Socialists surged to a general election victory Sunday over the Social Democrats, who were plagued by corruption scandals and the loss of a popular leader.

With 85% of the vote counted, the Socialists, headed by Antonio Guterres, had 43.9%, compared to 34.1% for the Social Democrats of Fernando Nogueira.

The Socialists were close to the 45% needed for a majority in the 230-member Parliament. Members are chosen from party slates in proportion to the party’s share of the vote, but urban and rural votes are weighted differently and a party with as little as 45% of the vote can gain a majority of 116 seats.

The right-wing People’s Party, campaigning on an anti-European Union ticket, was in third place with 8.9% of the vote, a hair ahead of the Communist-led CDU coalition with 8.8%.

Socialists were jubilant. “This is the best electoral performance in the party’s history,” said Socialist campaign coordinator Jorge Coelho.

In the decade following the 1974 Revolution of the Carnations, which toppled 48 years of rightist dictatorship and restored democracy, Portugal had 15 governments. Then in 1985, the Social Democrats under the leadership of Anibal Cavaco Silva swept to power.

But a stubborn economic slump, allegations of political corruption and Cavaco Silva’s decision in January to step down as party head and premier combined to take the wind out of the Social Democrats’ sails.