Partial election rerun embarrasses Portuguese politicians

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The swearing-in of Portugal’s new Socialist government may be delayed until mid-Marchdue to a snafu over voting from abroad. In a ruling late Tuesday that embarrassed politicians, Portugal’s Constitutional Court voided 80% of mail-in votes cast by Portuguese living in the rest of Europe. The court ordered a rerun of January’s balloting in those areas. The decision didn’t only cause embarrassment. It also had practical repercussions, including delaying the 2022 state budget until June. The center-left Socialists’ landslide win is not in doubt, as it collected 117 seats in the 230-seat parliament through votes cast in Portugal.