Portugal is holding early general elections on Sunday where 10.8 million registered voters will elect 230 deputies to the National Assembly, the country’s parliament, according to AP News.
Two moderate parties that have alternated in power for decades, the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party, are expected to regain the majority of votes.
The Social Democratic Party is capitalising on disillusionment with the mainstream parties and could contribute to Europe’s swing to the right. The following issues have been raised at the centre of the election campaign:
Firstly, corruption scandals, with the Socialist government collapsing in November in a corruption investigation. The scandal included a police search of Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s official residence and the arrest of his chief of staff. Costa has not been accused of any crime.
In addition, a Lisbon court ruled that the former Socialist prime minister, who was in power from 2005 to 2011, must stand trial for allegedly embezzling some €34 million during his time in office. Corruption cases in Portugal’s Madeira Islands led to the resignation of two prominent Social Democrat officials.
Secondly, the housing issue, which has had a significant impact on house prices. In Portugal, prices rose by about 80 percent, rents rose by about 30 percent between 2010 and the second quarter of last year, European Union statistics show.
Much of the price increase has come in recent years, with the problem particularly exacerbated by last year’s spike in mortgage rates and inflation.
Thirdly, weak economic growth and low labour productivity are holding back incomes. Portuguese have long been among the lowest paid in Western Europe. This has caused resentment, with the latest street protests over wages coming from police officers.
Last year, the average monthly salary before taxes was about €1,500 – barely enough to rent a one-bedroom flat in Lisbon. The minimum wage earned by more than 800,000 people is €820 a month. That’s €676 in take-home pay. Nearly 3 million Portuguese workers earn less than €1,000 a month.
Leading candidates in the election are as follows:
Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, 46, is a lawmaker and a former minister for housing and infrastructure. Luis Montenegro, the 51-year-old leader of the Social Democratic Party, is a lawyer who has been a legislator for 16 years after first entering parliament at the age of 29. He heads the Democratic Alliance and has never been a member of the Portuguese government. Chega party leader Andre Ventura, 41, appears to have no chance of becoming prime minister, but he could play a key role after the election if support for his party grows.
