Portuguese right celebrate victory

Portugal looked set for a coalition rightwing government yesterday with the winner in Sunday's elections, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso of the centre-right Social Democrats, expected to seek support from the more radically rightwing Popular party after failing to win an absolute majority.

The most euphoric victory celebrations were at the headquarters of the Popular party whose leader, Paulo Portas, was expecting a phone call from Mr Durao Barroso.

Mr Portas, a crusading rightwing journalist and social conservative, holds the balance of power. His 14 seats would give Mr Durao Barroso, a former Maoist converted to free market liberalism, the majority he needs to govern.

"What the Portuguese have shown is that they want and need a right wing, and that is us," Mr Portas declared.

His presence in the government is likely to harden the already tough economic proposals of Mr Durao Barroso, who wants to slash public spending and corporate taxes.

Mr Portas will press for tighter immigration controls. He has also been a vocal opponent of a recent softening of Portugal's drug laws.

Any hope of reform of the draconian abortion laws was dashed by the result.

As a former editor of the Independente newspaper Mr Portas made many enemies in the last Social Democrat government, led by Anibal Cavaco Silva, by exposing corruption.

Mr Durao Barroso is expected to receive formal permission from his party to start talks with Mr Portas later this week. "I will do whatever I can to guarantee stability," Mr Durao Barroso said, though he refused to confirm that he was planning a coalition. "The next government should last for four years. I hope that is what the other parties think."

The beaten Socialists had spent heavily but failed to boost the economy after six years in power.

The rise of the right was contrasted by the fall of the once powerful Communists. They and their Green allies seemed to be heading for electoral oblivion.