Portugal's parliament voted down two motions put forward by hard-left parties against the minority centre-right government's inaugural legislative programme on Friday, clearing the first hurdle for the administration of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. Despite the widely expected successful investiture, analysts say his government will be highly unstable as it will constantly require complex negotiations with the opposition in a fragmented parliament to pass legislation. The Communist Party and the Left Bloc, with just nine seats between them in the 230-seat parliament, had presented the motions to reject the government plan, which promises to maintain balanced budgets and keep reducing the public debt, while relying on lower taxes to boost growth.
Portugal
Montenegro
Lisbon
Lisboa
Sergio-goncalves
Andrei-khalip
David-holmes
Andre-ventura
Prime-minister-luis
Communist-party
Left-bloc