LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese voted Sunday in an election that that the ruling Socialists were expected to win but without an absolute majority, producing greater political uncertainty at a time of serious economic challenges.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates, an energetic 52-year-old, is expected to win about 38 percent of the vote, according to the last opinion polls, meaning his centre-left Socialists would be unable to replicate their current majority rule.

His challenger is Manuela Ferreira Leite, 68, leader of the centre-right Social Democrats, who has campaigned for vigorous public sector spending cuts to reduce growing debt caused by the worst economic recession in decades.

With unemployment at 9.1 percent and rising -- the highest since the 1980s -- many Portuguese appear to be turning to left-wing parties, which could post the biggest gains since the 2005 election.

PS 36-40%
PSD 26.3-30.3
CDS 8.6-11.6 por cento
BE 8.5-11.5
PCP-PEV 4.6-7.6

Asexpected, the Socialists won but lost the absolute majority.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

http://www.legislativas2009.mj.pt/index.html

Updated in real time. "Freguesia" is the smallest administrative unit.
If you press "ver resultados 2005" you have a side by side with current vote count vs the results of last election.

The Portuguese Socialist, led by Prime Minister Jose Socrates (pictured), have won the country's general election but have failed to retain their majority, according to television exit polls.

REUTERS - Portuguese Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates won a second term in a general election on Sunday but, as expected, his centre-left party fell short of an absolute majority in parliament, exit polls showed. 

Socrates, 52, won about 38 percent of the vote, cutting his share of the ballot from 45 percent in 2005, which had given him a solid absolute majority in parliament during his first term. 

SIC television projected the result would give the Socialists between 99 and 103 seats in the 230-seat parliament.

Portugal is set to return the Socialist Government to power despite the country suffering one of the worst economic downturns in 20 years.

As polls closed last night, José Sócrates, the Portuguese Prime Minister, looked likely to win the parliamentary elections but with the loss of the Socialists' absolute majority.

With more than 98 per cent of the votes counted, the Socialists were on 38 per cent, against the 29 per cent for the opposition centre-right Socialist Democratic Party (PSD).

Mr Sócrates's Government would be only the second socialist administration in Europe, after Norway, to be returned in the midst of the global economic recession.

This is what we are looking at (in number of parliament members):

PS  - 96
PSD - 77
CDS - 21
BE  - 16
CDU - 16

Majority is reached with 116 seats in a 230 members parliament. 4 seats are left to be attributed but shouldn't change the overall picture.

PS can only form a majority government with either CDS or PSD, the parties at its right. A third option might be a all-left coalition with BE and CDU, but I see that as very unlikely, given the wide range of philosophies the 3 parties represent (from scientific socialism to liberalism).

Only two outcomes seem likely to me:

. PS tries to form government alone to last just a few months;

. PS makes a coalition with PSD, which although presenting a rather different political programme is the closest party in ideologic terms;

Anyway, I think the days of alternating democracy between PS and PSD are over, they still get 2/3 of the votes but the smaller parties are too strong to let only one of them get the majority of seats.

The coming years should be interesting here.

You might find me At The Edge Of Time.