Portugal’s centre-right coalition government has won the country’s
general election behind an improving economy that weathered austerity
measures but appears to have fallen short of a crucial outright majority
in parliament. With 99 percent of districts reporting on Sunday, the
government had 37 percent compared with 32 percent for the main
opposition centre-left Socialist Party. Smaller, leftist parties made up
the rest.
Aljazeera has more:
The result means the government is likely to be
outnumbered in the 230-seat chamber by left-of-centre MPs 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. Coelho 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 $87bn bailout in 2011 amid the eurozone’s debt crisis.
The government complied with a German-led austerity plan to restore
financial health, by cutting pay, pensions and public services and
increasing 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment