Portugal heads to polls on Jan. 30, political stability fades

People walk along a street in downtown Lisbon, Portugal, November 4, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

LISBON (Reuters) -Portugal will head to the polls on Jan. 30 for a snap election called by the country's president on Thursday, a week after parliament threw out the minority Socialist government's 2022 budget bill, ending six years of relative political stability.

"In moments like this there is always a solution in democracy, without drama or fears ... to give the word back to the people," President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said in a televised address. "It is the only way to allow the Portuguese ... to decide what they want for the coming years.