PM Modi congratulates Portugal counterpart Antonio Costa on re-election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated his Portugal counterpart, Antonio Costa, for his resounding performance in the parliamentary elections and expressed his desire to continue deepening the time-tested relationship with the European country.

"Congratulations to my friend @antoniocostapm for resounding performance in the parliamentary elections in Portugal and his re-election. Look forward to continue deepening the warm and time-tested relationship with Portugal," PM Modi tweeted.

On Sunday, Portugal's Socialist Party, led by Costa, won a clear majority in the snap parliamentary election, garnering 41.63 per cent of the votes.

"An absolute majority doesn't mean absolute power. It doesn't mean to govern alone. It's an increased responsibility and it means to govern with and for all Portuguese," Costa said in his speech following the results.

"I must interpret this victory as a vote of confidence, as a huge personal responsibility, to promote the necessary consensus in parliament," he added said while recalling his leadership in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

In October last year, an impasse over the 2022 State Budget triggered the dissolution of parliament and the snap election.

( With inputs from ANI )