Portugal’s hard right gets a big election boost

NEXT MONTH the Portuguese will celebrate 50 years since their “Carnation Revolution” overthrew the right-wing dictatorship that had run the country for decades. It will be a reflective moment for many reasons. Portugal has mostly been a model of democratic transition and stability since 1974. Now it is facing a period of political turmoil, after an election on Sunday left no party a clear path to govern.The elections came early. Portugal had voted just two years ago. Then, bucking a European trend, voters gave a solid majority to one of their traditional centrist parties, the centre-left Socialists. António Costa, in office since 2015, returned as a strengthened prime minister.