Exit poll suggests Socialists win reelection in Portugal

By BARRY HATTON
Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Exit polls in Portugal’s general election suggests the center-left Socialist Party has been reelected, beating its main rival, the center-right Social Democratic Party. The poll by Portugal’s Catholic University for public broadcaster RTP estimated that the Socialists collected between 37%-42% of the vote on Sunday, with the Social Democrats taking 30%-35% of the vote. The poll did not take into account the 1.5 million people, out of an electorate of 10.8 million eligible voters, who live abroad and can vote by mail. The Socialist Party, which has governed for the past six years, and the Social Democratic Party are Portugal’s two main parties. The vote Sunday took place amid a surge of COVID-19 cases blamed on the omicron variant.