Portugal's PM cancels COP26 attendance as snap election looms

FILE PHOTO: Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa gestures during the debate on the 2022 state budget draft in first reading at the Portuguese Parliament, in Lisbon, Portugal, October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo

LISBON (Reuters) - Facing political uncertainty, Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa cancelled his presence at the U.N. climate conference, his office said on Friday, as the country braces for a potential snap election.

Parliament threw out the minority Socialist government's proposed budget bill for next year on Wednesday, paving the way for snap elections and ending six years of relative political stability under Costa.