Portugal’s Socialists pledge to raise minimum wage, boost competitiveness

The new leader of Portugal's ruling Socialist Party (PS) Pedro Nuno Santos pledged on Sunday to increase the minimum wage and boost economic competitiveness through more incentives to select sectors, if he wins an election in March. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called a snap election for March 10. Most opinion polls put the PS neck and neck with the centre-right Social Democratic Party, but many analysts fear a post-election quagmire and a potential strengthening of the role of the far-right, anti-establishment party Chega.