Portugal’s ruling party accepts election loss

Pedro Nuno Santos, the new leader of Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party, has acknowledged defeat to the Democratic Alliance (AD), a right-wing coalition. AD’s leader, Luis Montenegro, declared victory at an event in Lisbon. With 98% of votes counted, AD is poised to be the largest faction in Parliament, which allows a party to govern without a coalition under negative parliamentarism, unless opposed by Chega, a right-wing party that is set to be the third-largest. The Socialist Party, meanwhile, intends to become the opposition and refuses to support an AD-led government. The shift in power follows the resignation of former Prime Minister Antonio Costa after a corruption scandal.