Portugal’s new minority government aims to outmaneuver its radical right populist rivals

By BARRY HATTON
Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s new center-right minority government has taken office. Only one of the 17 ministers being sworn in at a ceremony in Lisbon on Tuesday has previous government experience. Even Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has never been in government before. The Chega populist party last week made good on its promise to upset the old ways of doing things by standing in the way of the incoming government’s candidate for speaker of parliament. The center-right alliance now taking power sidestepped that challenge by striking a deal with the center-left Socialist Party.