Corruption scandals cast a shadow over Portugal’s early general election and may favor populists

The official two-week campaign period before Portugal’s early general election began on Sunday, with the country’s two moderate mainstream parties once again expected to collect the most votes but with the expected rise of a populist party potentially adding momentum to Europe’s drift to the right. The center-left Socialist Party and center-right Social Democratic Party have alternated in power for decades. The election is being held after a Socialist government collapsed last November following a corruption investigation.