Portugal’s minority government loses confidence vote, triggering early election

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, second right, during a debate preceding the confidence motion vote (Armando Franca/AP)

Portugal’s minority government lost a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday, forcing its resignation and bringing the European Union country’s third general election in three years.

The exact vote count was not immediately available, but the speaker of parliament Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco said the centre-right government was defeated.