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Empresas y finanzas

Portugal president names Socialist leader as prime minister


    LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's president named Socialist leader Antonio Costa as prime minister on Tuesday, ending weeks of political stalemate and leading to the country's first Socialist government to be backed in parliament by the far left.

    Before the move, President Anibal Cavaco Silva had requested written assurances from Costa that he and his parliament majority partners would respect Lisbon's commitments to EU budget rules, and the president's statement said he took notice of Costa's reply before naming him prime minister.

    The statement said continuing with a caretaker government did not correspond to national interests as it would cause further political uncertainty.

    (Reporting By Andrei Khalip, editing by Axel Bugge)