That's the most important bit. Especially Americans decide to choose a country by thinking that other countries will have 'stable' (or rather unchangeable) political landscapes like the US - where people vote and neither the governments nor the policy change. But European countries are not like that. Most governments are coalition governments, and just the dimission of a few MPs or a minor coalition partner leaving the coalition can trigger an election. And that election can end up in a government that is totally the opposite side of the spectrum. Especially valid for Portugal and Spain, where right wing coalitions can easily come to power at any moment.