Portuguese pre-election poll shows more undecideds than any party's backers

LISBON (Reuters) - The share of Portuguese voters who remain undecided ahead of a May general election hit 39% in the first opinion poll conducted since the government's collapse this month, highlighting fatigue over a string of snap ballots that have failed to bring stability.

The survey by ICS/ISCTE pollsters published by the Expresso newspaper on Friday showed the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), which came to power in last year's early election to form a minority government, still ahead on 20% of voter intentions.

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's government failed to secure parliament's vote of confidence 10 days ago after the opposition questioned his integrity over the dealings of his family's data protection consultancy.

Montenegro has denied any wrongdoing and his party has backed him for reelection.

His now in a caretaker role.

The main opposition Socialist Party (PS), which has said Montenegro is unfit to govern, polled at about 15%, and the far-right Chega garnered 9% of voter intentions.

The survey also showed an equal proportion of respondents - 37% - blaming the government and the opposition for the political impasse, which has precipitated Portugal's third early election in just over three years.

The share of undecideds more than doubled from pre-election surveys last year. Another 8% said they would not vote.

Other recent surveys, which, unlike the ICS/ISCTE's distribute the undecideds proportionally between the main parties to project an election result, had the AD and PS running neck and neck at around 30%, roughly the same as in the March 2024 election when they garnered 28% and 27%, respectively.

Chega is steadily polling third, but somewhat below last year's result of 18% following scandals involving several senior party members.

The ICS/ISCTE surveyed 802 people between March 12 and 17. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

(Reporting by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Joe Bavier)