Portugal's parties wrap up election campaigning, stable government unlikely

By Sergio Goncalves and Catarina Demony

LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese political parties were wrapping up their campaigns on Lisbon's streets on Friday ahead of a general election on Sunday - the country's third early vote in as many years - that polls indicate is unlikely to yield a stable government.

Supporters of the three main parties will converge on Baixa Chiado - among the capital's most iconic neighbourhoods - for separate rallies, but the leader of the far-right Chega party will be notably absent.

Andre Ventura, 42, suffered an esophageal spasm and was rushed to hospital on Thursday in the second such incident this week. He has since been discharged and said he was feeling better but will not be at his party's final event.

Sunday's race - three years ahead of schedule - was called after Prime Minister Luis Montenegro failed to win parliament's confidence in March in a vote he himself proposed after the opposition questioned his integrity over the dealings of his family's data protection consultancy.

Montenegro has denied any wrongdoing.

The final pre-election opinion survey carried out by Lisbon's Catholic University, released by broadcaster RTP late on Thursday, showed little change from earlier polls.

It forecast the ruling centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) garnering the most votes but no parliamentary majority. That would be a similar outcome to the previous ballot in March 2024 though with a slight boost for AD.

The poll put AD at 34%, up from 32% in the same poll a week ago and above nearly 29% garnered in last year's election which led to an AD-led minority government.

Support for its rival, the centre-left Socialist Party (PS), dropped to 26% from 28%.

"All indicators point to us being on the right track, but nothing is guaranteed," Montegro said surrounded by upbeat supporters waving flags and shouting political slogans at AD's last campaign rally on Friday.

According to Thursday's poll, far-right, anti-immigration party Chega, with whom Montenegro refuses to make a deal, is polling steadily in third place at 19%, little changed from its result last year.

Liberal Initiative, with which AD shares similar views on some economic issues, was polling at 7%, slightly better than a year ago, but not high enough for a potential alliance between the two to achieve a full majority.

(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Catarina Demony; Editing by Charlie Devereux, Andrei Khalip and Joe Bavier)