SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Portuguese Prime Minister and Secretary general of Socialist Party Antonio Costa waves to followers to before delivering remarks after results of the Portuguese Parliament election gave the PS victory obtaining 106 seats, 20 more than the party had in the previous legislature, on October 06, 2019 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo: Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Socialists Win in Portugal in Rebuke to Far-Right Populism
The center-right Social Democratic Party had its worst result in over three decades.
Oct 07, 2019
Socialists emerged victorious from Sunday's elections in Portugal in another sign that right-wing populism in Europe may be losing steam.
The Socialist Party, to which Prime Minister Antonio Costa belongs, still fell short of winning an absolute majority.
Politicoreported:
The Socialists won 36.6 percent of the vote with over 99 percent of stations reporting, followed by the center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) on 27.9 percent, its worst result since 1983.
With the smaller conservative CDS-People's Party (CDS-PP) getting just 4.2 percent, the night was a serious reversal for Portugal's mainstream right.
On the left, the old-school Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) saw its support drop to a historic low of 6.5 percent and the Left Bloc, a media-savvy, urban-based party, confirmed its position as Portugal's third party, falling slightly to 9.7 percent.
The Iberian nation, noted Deutsche Welle, is "one of the few European countries where right-wing populists remain insignificant."
Voting information outlet Europe Elects broke down the figures:
\u201cPortugal, plurality of vote per electoral district.\n\nCentre-left PS (S&D) was the most voted party in 15 out of the 20 national electoral districts, an increase of 8 compared to the 2015 parliamentary election.\u201d— Europe Elects (@Europe Elects) 1570410399
\u201cPortugal, 99% of parishes counted:\n\nConfirmed Seats: 226/230\n\nPS-S&D: 106 (+21)\nPSD-EPP: 77 (-12)\nBE-LEFT: 19\nCDU-LEFT|G/EFA: 12 (-5)\nCDS/PP-EPP: 5 (-13)\nPAN-G/EFA: 4 (+3)\nCH-ECR: 1 (+1)\nIL-RE: 1 (+1)\nLIVRE-G/EFA: 1 (+1)\nunclear: 4\n\n+/- vs. current distribution\n\n#Legislativas2019\u201d— Europe Elects (@Europe Elects) 1570404770
The results mean that Costa now "needs to negotiate a new deal with one or both of his far-left allies in the previous legislature," as Reutersnoted.
Guardian columnist Owen Jones, in a tweet, suggested that voters were likely happy with the leftward shift the Social Party made in that previous legislature:
\u201cIn 2015, Portugal\u2019s Socialists won a mediocre result, and only formed a government with the support of left parties, on condition the Socialists shift to the left.\n\nThe result? A very popular government, and an election in which the left won a majority of votes. A lesson, there.\u201d— Owen Jones (@Owen Jones) 1570393565
Ricardo Ferreira Reis, polling center director at Lisbon's Catolica University, made a similar observation. "This result," he toldRTP television, "can be seen as a vote for a government led by the Socialist Party with parliamentary support or in coalition with other forces on the left."
European Council president Donald Tusk congratulated Costa on the win, saying his "electoral success comes at a challenging time for Europe and the world."
"European unity is more needed now than ever," Tusk continued, "and I trust that your government will continue playing a constructive role in the most relevant themes such as the climate emergency, trade conflicts, our multi-year budget, migration, the completion of the Economic and Monetary Union as well as Brexit."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Socialists emerged victorious from Sunday's elections in Portugal in another sign that right-wing populism in Europe may be losing steam.
The Socialist Party, to which Prime Minister Antonio Costa belongs, still fell short of winning an absolute majority.
Politicoreported:
The Socialists won 36.6 percent of the vote with over 99 percent of stations reporting, followed by the center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) on 27.9 percent, its worst result since 1983.
With the smaller conservative CDS-People's Party (CDS-PP) getting just 4.2 percent, the night was a serious reversal for Portugal's mainstream right.
On the left, the old-school Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) saw its support drop to a historic low of 6.5 percent and the Left Bloc, a media-savvy, urban-based party, confirmed its position as Portugal's third party, falling slightly to 9.7 percent.
The Iberian nation, noted Deutsche Welle, is "one of the few European countries where right-wing populists remain insignificant."
Voting information outlet Europe Elects broke down the figures:
\u201cPortugal, plurality of vote per electoral district.\n\nCentre-left PS (S&D) was the most voted party in 15 out of the 20 national electoral districts, an increase of 8 compared to the 2015 parliamentary election.\u201d— Europe Elects (@Europe Elects) 1570410399
\u201cPortugal, 99% of parishes counted:\n\nConfirmed Seats: 226/230\n\nPS-S&D: 106 (+21)\nPSD-EPP: 77 (-12)\nBE-LEFT: 19\nCDU-LEFT|G/EFA: 12 (-5)\nCDS/PP-EPP: 5 (-13)\nPAN-G/EFA: 4 (+3)\nCH-ECR: 1 (+1)\nIL-RE: 1 (+1)\nLIVRE-G/EFA: 1 (+1)\nunclear: 4\n\n+/- vs. current distribution\n\n#Legislativas2019\u201d— Europe Elects (@Europe Elects) 1570404770
The results mean that Costa now "needs to negotiate a new deal with one or both of his far-left allies in the previous legislature," as Reutersnoted.
Guardian columnist Owen Jones, in a tweet, suggested that voters were likely happy with the leftward shift the Social Party made in that previous legislature:
\u201cIn 2015, Portugal\u2019s Socialists won a mediocre result, and only formed a government with the support of left parties, on condition the Socialists shift to the left.\n\nThe result? A very popular government, and an election in which the left won a majority of votes. A lesson, there.\u201d— Owen Jones (@Owen Jones) 1570393565
Ricardo Ferreira Reis, polling center director at Lisbon's Catolica University, made a similar observation. "This result," he toldRTP television, "can be seen as a vote for a government led by the Socialist Party with parliamentary support or in coalition with other forces on the left."
European Council president Donald Tusk congratulated Costa on the win, saying his "electoral success comes at a challenging time for Europe and the world."
"European unity is more needed now than ever," Tusk continued, "and I trust that your government will continue playing a constructive role in the most relevant themes such as the climate emergency, trade conflicts, our multi-year budget, migration, the completion of the Economic and Monetary Union as well as Brexit."
Socialists emerged victorious from Sunday's elections in Portugal in another sign that right-wing populism in Europe may be losing steam.
The Socialist Party, to which Prime Minister Antonio Costa belongs, still fell short of winning an absolute majority.
Politicoreported:
The Socialists won 36.6 percent of the vote with over 99 percent of stations reporting, followed by the center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) on 27.9 percent, its worst result since 1983.
With the smaller conservative CDS-People's Party (CDS-PP) getting just 4.2 percent, the night was a serious reversal for Portugal's mainstream right.
On the left, the old-school Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) saw its support drop to a historic low of 6.5 percent and the Left Bloc, a media-savvy, urban-based party, confirmed its position as Portugal's third party, falling slightly to 9.7 percent.
The Iberian nation, noted Deutsche Welle, is "one of the few European countries where right-wing populists remain insignificant."
Voting information outlet Europe Elects broke down the figures:
\u201cPortugal, plurality of vote per electoral district.\n\nCentre-left PS (S&D) was the most voted party in 15 out of the 20 national electoral districts, an increase of 8 compared to the 2015 parliamentary election.\u201d— Europe Elects (@Europe Elects) 1570410399
\u201cPortugal, 99% of parishes counted:\n\nConfirmed Seats: 226/230\n\nPS-S&D: 106 (+21)\nPSD-EPP: 77 (-12)\nBE-LEFT: 19\nCDU-LEFT|G/EFA: 12 (-5)\nCDS/PP-EPP: 5 (-13)\nPAN-G/EFA: 4 (+3)\nCH-ECR: 1 (+1)\nIL-RE: 1 (+1)\nLIVRE-G/EFA: 1 (+1)\nunclear: 4\n\n+/- vs. current distribution\n\n#Legislativas2019\u201d— Europe Elects (@Europe Elects) 1570404770
The results mean that Costa now "needs to negotiate a new deal with one or both of his far-left allies in the previous legislature," as Reutersnoted.
Guardian columnist Owen Jones, in a tweet, suggested that voters were likely happy with the leftward shift the Social Party made in that previous legislature:
\u201cIn 2015, Portugal\u2019s Socialists won a mediocre result, and only formed a government with the support of left parties, on condition the Socialists shift to the left.\n\nThe result? A very popular government, and an election in which the left won a majority of votes. A lesson, there.\u201d— Owen Jones (@Owen Jones) 1570393565
Ricardo Ferreira Reis, polling center director at Lisbon's Catolica University, made a similar observation. "This result," he toldRTP television, "can be seen as a vote for a government led by the Socialist Party with parliamentary support or in coalition with other forces on the left."
European Council president Donald Tusk congratulated Costa on the win, saying his "electoral success comes at a challenging time for Europe and the world."
"European unity is more needed now than ever," Tusk continued, "and I trust that your government will continue playing a constructive role in the most relevant themes such as the climate emergency, trade conflicts, our multi-year budget, migration, the completion of the Economic and Monetary Union as well as Brexit."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.