Exit polls show Portugal's centre-right AD ahead in election, no majority

LISBON (Reuters) -Portugal's ruling centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) was poised to win the most votes in Sunday's early parliamentary election, but short of a full majority, three exit polls showed, putting the AD in the 29%-35.1% range.

In the previous election in March 2024, the AD won around 29%, leading to a minority government that collapsed a year later. To win an outright majority, a party needs to garner at least 42% of the vote.

The polls published by the three main television channels - SIC, RTP and TVI - put the centre-left Socialists at 19.4%-26%, closely followed by the far-right Chega, with whom AD leader and acting Prime Minister Luis Montenegro refuses to make any deals, in the 19.5% to 25.5% range.

Business-friendly Liberal Initiative (IL), a party some analysts see as a potential coalition ally of the AD, was likely to garner 4%-8% of the vote, meaning their potential alliance could only reach a majority of 116 in the 230-seat parliament if both perform at the top of the exit poll estimates.

(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; writing by Andrei Khalip, editing by Catarina Demony)