Lisbon - Portugal's Socialists, whose defeat in local polls has paved the way for early general elections, suffered a new blow yesterday when one of their brightest lights abruptly quit the party leadership race.
The Foreign Minister, Mr Jaime Gama, who only offered to be a candidate on Wednesday, pulled out of the race as all the main parties held talks with the President, Mr Jorge Sampaio, and expressed support for early general elections.
The Prime Minister, Mr Antonio Guterres, who had held power for six years, resigned and also quit as Socialist secretary-general following Sunday's local poll defeat inflicted by the centre-right Social Democrats, headed by the former foreign minister, Mr Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.