Corruption Scandals Cast Shadow Over Portugal’s Early General Election 

FILE - Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos, left, and Luis Montenegro, leader of the Social Democratic Party, greet each other before an election TV debate in Lisbon, Feb. 19, 2024. FILE - Birds fly above election campaign billboards for leftist parties in Lisbon, Feb. 24, 2024. The official two-week campaign period before Portugal's snap general election begins Feb. 25, 2024.

The official two-week campaign period before Portugal’s early general election began Sunday, with the country’s two moderate mainstream parties once again expected to collect the most votes but with the expected rise of a populist party potentially adding momentum to Europe’s drift to the right.