WORLD BRIEFING

Portuguese Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates won a second term in a general election but, as expected, his center-left party fell short of an absolute majority in parliament, exit polls indicated.

Socrates, 52, won about 38% of the vote, according to the polls, compared with a 45% share of the ballot in 2005, which had given him a solid majority in parliament during his first term.

SIC television projected the result would give the Socialists between 99 and 103 seats in the 230-seat parliament.

The center-right Social Democrats under Manuela Ferreira Leite, 68, who had campaigned for vigorous public-sector spending cuts, looked to have about 29% of the vote, virtually unchanged from 2005. The Left Bloc appeared to be the biggest gainer from the last election, rising to 10% from 6.3% in 2005.