Portugal to Hold Snap Elections in March

Facts

• Portugal's Pres. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called a snap election for March 10, following the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister António Costa earlier this week over alleged government corruption, with parliament dissolution pending a vote on the 2024 budget.¹
• This date comes as Rebelo de Sousa met with main political parties on Wednesday and the consultative Council of State on Thursday. The budget bill, which includes tax cuts for the middle class and increased public expenditure, must be finally approved by Nov. 29.²
• Shortly after the announcement on Thursday, the now-caretaker Prime Minister Costa criticized the president for calling a new national vote instead of accepting the ruling Socialist Party's proposal to appoint Central Bank Chief Mário Centeno to the premiership.³
• While the Portuguese Constitution allows the president to name a new prime minister without holding fresh elections, Rebelo de Sousa stressed that the country needs a head of government whose legitimacy is clear.⁴
• An Intercampus opinion poll released on Friday shows the center-right opposition Social Democrats currently leading the race with 21.8%, followed by the Socialist Party at 17.9%, and the right-wing Chega at 13%. Nearly one-fifth of the respondents remain undecided.⁵
• Meanwhile, the five suspects arrested in connection to the corruption probe that triggered political upheaval in Portugal — including Costa's former chief of staff, Vítor Escária — continue to be interrogated in police detention. Bail measures will only be announced once they have been fully questioned.⁶

Sources: ¹Bloomberg, ²Al Jazeera, ³DW, ⁴Politico, ⁵Reuters and ⁶Portugal Resident.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Peoples Dispatch. As Portugal prepares for an early vote in March, the left wing must learn from what went wrong under Costa's leadership. It's time to get rid of the failed neoliberal governance model that prioritizes corporate interests and undermines the government, as this very policy has engendered the current political crisis.
• Right narrative, as provided by European Conservative. It's no wonder that the Socialist Party had sought to prevent a snap election, as even globalist Europhiles reckon that the election campaign is likely to benefit the right wing. This will be the greatest change for Portuguese conservatives to break the socialist and liberal hegemony that has ruled the country since the restoration of democracy in the 1970s.