He noted that the current situation - after the right-of-centre winning the election but failing to secure a majority in parliament - is unprecedented.


"Even when there was a relative majority in the time of [Socialist prime minister, António] Guterres, the situation was different, given that it was a PS majority that was in the centre and [which] had opposition parties on its right and left," Rodrigues told journalists. Now "the whole government is on one side and the whole opposition is on the other.


"Let's see what are the proposals" from those who "are tapped to form a government," he said.

Under Portugal's constitution, the country's president must decide, after consulting all political parties with seats n the new parliament, which party leader to ask to form a government.

Rodrigues was speaking after the official ceremony to mark the 105th anniversary of the declaration of Portugal's first republic, at Lisbon's city hall. Portugal's president, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, did not take part, having said that he would spend the day reflecting on the election results.


The governing coalition formed by the centre-right Social Democratic Party and the right-wing People's Party won with 38.55% of the votes, giving it 104 seats, while the PS came second, with 32.38% of the vote and 85 seats. Four further seats have yet to be allocated according to the vote by Portuguese emigrants.


Another leading PS figure, former minister Vitalino Canas, said on Monday that the party is open to understandings on the right or left, and that a clearer position would only emerge from a meeting of its political committee on Tuesday. He described the election-night speech by the party's leader, António Costa, as showing "great responsibility" and which "obviously" should be seen as expressing openness to the left and right.


Costa had congratulated the coalition on its win and said it was now up to it to form a government; the PS would not rush to form part of a blocking majority in parliament, he said, but did demand that Portugal "turn the page on austerity".