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The 51-year-old lawyer and veteran parliamentarian, Luis Montenegro has been elected the Prime Minister of Portugal.
He succeeds the Socialist Party’s Antonio Costa, who has been in power since 2015.
His Democratic Alliance (AD) promises to boost economic growth by cutting taxes and improving unreliable public health services and education, which have been hit by strikes by teachers and school workers overpaying.
Montenegro will present his new government next Wednesday, with it due to take office on April 2.
The newly elected leader told reporters after a meeting with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa that their meeting marked the end of the process of naming a new prime minister.
Montenegro’s AD beat the incumbent Socialist Party (PS) in the March 10 elections but won just 79 seats, far short of a majority in the 230-seat parliament.
Even with the backing of the tiny business-friendly Liberal Initiative (IL) party, the AD would still need the support of the anti-immigration party Chega to reach a majority of 116 seats in the assembly.
The election was called after Costa, 62, unexpectedly resigned in November following an influence-peddling investigation that involved a search of his official residence and the arrest of his chief of staff.
The PS came second in the elections, with 28 per cent of the vote and 78 seats in parliament.
Chega posted the biggest gains, winning 50 seats after taking just 12 in the last election in 2022, cementing its position in Portugal’s political landscape.
But Montenegro has ruled out forming a coalition with Chega.
He intends to form a minority government.
Chega leader Andre Ventura this week warned of political instability if the AD continued to reject a coalition, threatening to oppose it if Montenegro refused to open negotiations.
