Portugal budget bickering risks triggering snap election

FILE PHOTO: Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa attend the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers at Ajuda Palace in Lisbon, Portugal October 26, 2019. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante/Files

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's Socialist government could be on the verge of collapse after six years of minority rule, with the administration's former hard-left allies threatening to vote against the 2022 budget later this week.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa appealed on Monday for "common sense", warning that without a budget, which relies heavily on EU pandemic recovery funds, "there will be no alternative to the immediate dissolution of parliament" and snap elections, two years ahead of schedule.