Portugal prepares for general election

LISBON, Portugal, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Portugal's president, whose current tenure in office is a mere four months, has set Feb. 20 as the date for a general election.

Jorge Sampaio said dissolving parliament was the only way to solve a crisis of credibility and instability that has beset the nation since Pedro Santana Lopes became prime minister, the BBC reported Saturday.

Lopes took office when Jose Manuel Barroso became president of the European Commission.

"This government's negative succession of incidents and declarations, contradictions and discoordinations in whole led me to dissolve the parliament as the only solution for a grave crisis of credibility and instability," Sampaio said.