Portugal's Election Could Add Momentum to Europe's Drift to the Right

Luis Montenegro, leader of the center-right Democratic Alliance coalition, applauds while confetti rains down on him at the end of the election campaign closing rally in Lisbon, Portugal, March 8, 2024. A child holding a flower and a Socialist Party flag is lifted above the crowd during an election campaign action with the Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos on the street in the Lisbon suburb of Moscavide, March 8, 2024.

Portugal is holding a general election Sunday against a backdrop of corruption scandals and economic hardship that have eroded faith in moderate mainstream parties and could push a significant number of voters into the arms of a radical right populist party.