Portugal could be heading to its third general election in three years after the centre-right government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro lost a vote of confidence on Tuesday evening, March 11. The vote was called over conflict-of-interest accusations against Montenegro involving a family business. A last-minute attempt to avoid the vote failed when terms could not be agreed for setting up a mooted parliamentary inquiry.

The government “tried everything right up to the last minute to avoid snap elections,” Montenegro said when leaving parliament.

The Socialist Party (PS), the main opposition party, and the far-right Chega party both voted to bring down the government, and the country’s president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa must now decide whether to dissolve the assembly and call new elections.