Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro Cardoso announced on Wednesday that he will request a vote of confidence in parliament.
The country's largest opposition group, the Socialist Party, has already declared its intention to vote against Montenegro, which makes it likely that his minority government will collapse, potentially leading to another round of early elections.
Montenegro has been under scrutiny for some time due to allegations of conflicts of interest. Before becoming Prime Minister, he headed a consultancy firm now owned by his children. Opponents claim his ties to the company have not been fully severed.
The Communist Party previously filed a motion of no confidence, but it was rejected by the Socialists.
Montenegro now aims to subject his conservative minority government to a vote of confidence. “New elections are not desirable, but they might be a necessary evil,” he said in parliament on Wednesday.
Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos has confirmed his party’s intention to vote against the government.
The timing of the confidence vote remains unclear.
Should the majority vote against the government, it will collapse. According to Reuters, the President would likely call a new election in such an event.
That would be the third election in three years for Portugal.
Montenegro himself rose to power last year following early elections after the government of previous Prime Minister Antonio Costa fell due to a corruption scandal.
Costa is now the President of the European Council.
