Conservative coalition on course for another win in Portuguese elections

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Conservative coalition on course for another win in Portuguese elections



LISBON: -- All signs are pointing to a second consecutive election win for Portugal’s conservative Portugal Ahead coalition.

However, they seem likely to lose their overall majority.

Around 44 percent is needed for an overall majority in the 230-seat parliament. With 99 percent of the votes counted, Portugal Ahead stood at around 38.44 percent.

History has not been kind to minority governments in Portugal. Not a single one has lasted a full term since the country became a democracy in 1974.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-10-05

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LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Portuguese government wins re-election despite austerity policies opposed across Europe

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Portugal centre-right wins re-election

LISBON: -- Portugal's governing centre-right coalition has won the country's general election, which was widely seen as a referendum on four years of austerity.

Socialist leader Antonio Costa admitted defeat and congratulated Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho.

With almost all votes counted, the centre-right leads with about 37%, with the Socialists on just over 32%.

However, Mr Passos Coelho said his coalition appears to have lost its absolute majority in parliament.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34440667


-- BBC 2015-10-05

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Portugal government re-elected despite painful austerity
BARRY HATTON, Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal's center-right coalition government earned another four-year term Sunday, winning a general election behind an improving economy that weathered the austerity measures contested across Europe, but falling short of a crucial outright majority in Parliament.

With 99 percent of districts reporting, the government had 37 percent compared with 32 percent for the main opposition center-left Socialist Party. Smaller, leftist parties made up the rest.

The victory was bittersweet, however, as the government failed to achieve a parliamentary majority. That means it will be outnumbered in the 230-seat chamber by left-of-center lawmakers who could block its policy proposals. A period of political instability could ensue, making investors once again nervous about the eurozone's ability to sort out its economic problems.

Incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said his government is determined to abide by the eurozone's fiscal rules. He said he is willing to compromise with opposition parties to achieve the "essential goal" of reducing national debt.

"Times haven't been easy, and the times ahead will be challenging," he said.

Portugal needed a 78 billion-euro ($87 billion) bailout in 2011 amid the eurozone's debt crisis. The government complied with a German-led austerity plan to restore the 19-nation bloc's financial health, cutting pay, pensions and public services and increased taxes that brought large street protests and strikes.

The austerity policies helped propel Portugal into a three-year recession, and the Socialists were optimistic they would benefit from a backlash against the government.

Socialist leader Antonio Costa conceded defeat, but warned that the government must change its conduct now that it has lost its outright majority in Parliament. "The government has to understand that things are different now," Costa said, adding that he would not seek to make the country ungovernable.

The economy is improving, allowing the government to argue that austerity is paying off. The economy grew 1.5 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2014. The unemployment rate has fallen from a record 17.7 percent in 2013 to 12.3 percent last July.

Portugal shunned the kind of radical alternatives that have emerged in Europe in recent years, such as Greece's Syriza and Spain's Podemos, which have challenged mainstream parties from the far left. The Portuguese have a traditional preference for moderate parties, and voters apparently feared knocking the long-awaited economic recovery off-track. A handful of grassroots anti-austerity parties barely registered in the ballot.

The Portuguese government's showing will give heart to Mariano Rajoy's conservative government in neighboring Spain, which faces an election Dec. 20. Rajoy's government has imposed deep spending cuts, but growth has returned to the country.

Passos Coelho, Portugal's 51-year-old prime minister, has nurtured an image as a cool-headed, resolute leader who is determined to restore his country's fortunes through unpopular measures and painful reforms, whatever the political cost. He says Portugal can't afford to go back to borrow-and-spend policies and must live within its means.

The government, made up of the Social Democratic Party and its junior partner, the Popular Party, united the right-of-center vote while the left-of-center vote was fragmented between the Socialists, the Left Bloc — with at least 10 percent, its best-ever result — and the Communist Party, with 8 percent.

The election outcome "wasn't so much a victory for the government as a defeat for the Socialists," said Antonio Barroso, a London-based analyst with the Teneo Intelligence political risk consulting group.

The Socialist Party promised to start easing the tax burden and speed up growth through domestic consumption, but the Socialists had a credibility problem because they led Portugal to the brink of bankruptcy four years ago.

Teresa Godinho, a middle-aged psychologist voting at a polling station in Lisbon's suburbs, said she didn't entirely agree with the government, but voted for it because there were no other viable options. "I lost my trust in the Socialist Party when they left us nearly bankrupt," she said.

But Tiago Amaral, a salesman unemployed for the past 18 months, said he opted for the Socialists because he was frustrated. "All I know is something's got to change," he said.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-10-05

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Portugal’s centre-right is re-elected in parliamentary poll



LISBON: -- Portugal’s centre-right coalition government under Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has won another four-year term.

In what was seen as a test of tough austerity measures, he’s the first leader in Europe to be re-elected after having imposed hardships on voters under international bailout deals.

However Passos Coelho has lost his overall parliamentary majority.

Speaking to supporters Portugal’s prime minister said he had already spoken with his coalition partner to organise as quickly as possible national meetings formalise their coalition agreement.

Sunday’s results have the government on nearly 37 percent compared to just over 32 percent for the main opposition centre -left Socialists. That translates into 99 seats and 85 seats respectively.

It means the government will be outnumbered in the 230 seat chamber making the prospect of political instability extremely likely.

Socialist leader Antonio Costa who had promsed to ease austerity warned the next government it will have to change its conduct now its lost its majority. He also denied reports he was quitting.

Another winner on the night was Portugal’s Left Bloc. They had their best-ever result garnering 10 percent of votes, increasing their seats in parliament from 8 to 19.
Their spokeswoman Catarina Martins immediately rejected any thought of propping up a government made up with deputies from the right.

One analyst summed up Sunday night’s results as “not so much a victory for the government as a defeat for the socialists”.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-10-05