The Portuguese President, Jorge Sampaio, dissolved the parliament earlier today as a result of the rising environment of political instability surrounding the center-right government of Pedro Santana Lopes.

After last weeks precocious departure of the minister of sports and youth, Henrique Chavez, only 4 days after taking over the position, the president was left with little choice but to dissolve the parliament and call for general elections next February.

Jorge Sampaio said, “The minimum stability to rule is not assured. This government cannot guarantee the exemption, coherence and stability necessary for the country.”
Pedro Santana Lopes, the Portuguese prime minister that took over after the sudden departure of Manuel Barroso last summer to take control of the presidency of the European commission, has shown his disappointment with the president’s decision. He believes the decision is unjustified. He said, “The fact of having a stable coalition government supported by a majority in parliament that worked until now, should had been enough for the president to reconsider.”

The President will now met members from all parties in the parliament and call for an extraordinary meeting of the state council. Elections are expected to take place next February.

Meanwhile the still ruling government of the coalition between the social democrats, psd, and the neo-conservatives, cds-pp led by Paulo Portas (the current defense minister), has the tuff task of convincing the parliament to approve a controversial

Portugal- Europe’s best kept secret


During the fascist dictatorship, which ended with the bloodless revolution of 1974, the tourism slogan of the time was “Portugal-Europe’s best kept secret”. 30 years after, facing its most critical political instable conflict in the post-revolution period, the “culture of silence” hides 10 years of governmental mismanagement.

In Portugal the announcement of the dissolution of the parliament by the President Jorge Sampaio earlier this week, was accepted with little surprise. The current government of Santana Lopes, although not completely blameless, cannot be totally responsible for the current situation.

The annual Social watch report described Portugal as a country “where impunity reigns” and where unemployment and corruption rises at a frightening pace.

On the 1st of October of 1995 the socialist party (ps) regain power after a decade of outstanding economic recovery driven by the policies of the social democratic party (psd), conducted then by Anibal Cavaco e Silva. Social tensions led to the rise of the Antonio Guterres (ps) era, an age of general optimism in the tiny southern European state.

Guterres was re-elected in 1999 only to quit 3 years later faced with an unmanageable economic deficit. Earlier general elections brought the Social democrats back to power, this time headed by Manuel Barroso and a coalition with the neo conservative Popular Party (PP) of Paulo Portas. Inniciating a series of dramatic measures, which brought a sense of social unrest to the Portuguese nation, Barroso gained a respectable reputation among European leaders. Last summer, after an invitation by the European commission, Barroso announced his departure from his position as prime minister in order to assume the presidency of the European commission. Then in came Santana lopes, the controversial mayor of Lisbon, attacked in the past for his excessive media exposure.

The last 2 years saw the rising of an unprecedented series of corruption cases that shock the Portuguese establishment. First many influential figures in Portuguese society, such as the media “giant” Carlos Cruz and the socialist MP Paulo Pedroso, were involved in the most controversial pedophilia scandal ever, exposing a network of sexual abuse in the public orphanage institution of “Casa Pia”. Then in May 2003 a member of a northern council, Fatima Felgueiras, escaped to Brasil on the day the Public Ministry issued an arrest warrant accusing her of over 20 crimes of corruption, bad administration, abuse of power, fiscal crimes among many others. Finally the pressure made by Santana Lopes government over an independent TV station (TVI) to sack an eminent political figure, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa who had been the secretary general of the social democratic party in the late 90´s, due to his constant and ferocious critiques of the minister of defense Paulo Portas (leader of the PP), was denounced by the national press as state censorship.

The demission of Henrique chaves only 4 days after taking over the ministry of Sports and Youth, on the grounds that the PM was not loyal to his government, was the final drop.

With 3 governments on a row failing to finish their legislature Portugal dives into an era of serious economic struggle and social tension.

What will happen now?

Duarte Lima, member of the social democrats national council said, “between calling for elections now or in June it is preferable to be now.” He went on to say, “Santana Lopes has the legitimacy of being our candidate. This government should not be blamed for the current political instability.” Many key figures in PSD, such as the ex-PM Cavaco Silva, have come out to say the contrary.

There is also the issue of the continuity of the right wing coalition between PSD and PP, which in its absence, a right wing majority in parliament looks impossible. The secretary of Parliamentary Issues Montalvao Machado said, “a quick and loyal reflection about the coalition towards PP must be done”, while the MP Tavares Moreira, of the executive budget commission, said, ”It would be healthier for both parties to run separately”.

Portuguese left is also walking in a tight rope. Both the communist and the socialist party had troubled internal elections in the last few months, and a coalition appears to be difficult. Without it there is little hope of success. The socialist leader Jose Socrates is perceived as an uncharismatic figure, and the communist party has been declining rapidly due to internal accusations of Stalinist management by the central committee. The recently founded Left Block led by Francisco Louça is generally seen as a week alternative.

General elections are expected to take place next February and Portuguese people have the right to feel confused, left out by their political elite and failed by the current democratic system. There is no defined political alternative and the crisis is far from being solved.

Portuguese are struggling to find a voice and the silence of both the national, and most reprehensively, the international media is deafening.

30 years after, everything in Portugal is still pretty much a secret.



Culture of irresponsibility and impunity


The independent Social Watch commission’s annual global report described Portugal as a socially poor and “badly informed” nation. According to information collected by surveys and studies produced by different social groups, corruption, unemployment, crime rate and beurocracy are rising at a steady pace. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development contradicted the report by saying the country will see a dramatic economic recovery very soon.

The figures presented by the social watch report are freighting.

According to them, during the first half of 2003 an average of 150 jobs were lost and in just one year unemployment raised from 5.1% to 6.3% and it is still rising. Due to a lack of specialization, vocational training and a general difficulty for graduates to enter the job market the EU expects that figure to rise to 7.3% in 2005.

Portuguese became big spenders in the last few decades and did not develop at a moderate rhythm in the last few critical years. The result is that 96.6% of families are in debt. Distribution of wealth is also a big problem. The report pointed out that “the richest 20% of the population earns 7.6 times more then the poorest 20%.

Social Watch also made an emphasis in the rise in corruption, made evident by the recent football bribery and the Fatima Felgueiras scandals. An independent study conducted by the Catholic University exposes the worries of Portuguese as there is no campaign to stop the trend. In the same study at least 600.000 Portuguese over the age of 24 have admitted to have been invited to “buy favors by civil servants”.

Immigration is another serious issue. By 2002, 5% of the population were immigrants, and the Frontiers and Foreigners Service (SEF) estimated that there were 200.000 illegal immigrants in the country. Most Portuguese feel these people should be protected from exploitation, nonetheless the study shows that 3 out of 4 people believe immigration is a problem due to cultural differences. 20% feel eastern Europeans are taking too many jobs, 30% believes immigrants commit more crimes then the average Portuguese and 75% says immigrants should be under close surveillance. Portugal was front cover of the American Time magazine last year “for being the entry point into Europe of an international women-trafficking network”. The lack of elasticity of the job market to react to growth of productive capacity is in fact balanced by immigration that saved many activities from disappearing, and every legal immigrant “generates 1.390€ net profit to the state.”

The OECD says mismanagement is the cause for the disgraceful state of the health system, accusing it of “under-utilization of its resources”. The private service accounts for 44% but most Portuguese families cannot afford health insurance.

Finally the report points out that 5 people die everyday due to traffic accidents, 70% of the prison population are in for drug related crimes and domestic violence is rising. In 2002, 87.7% of the cases reported to the victim support association were cases of domestic violence directed at women.

Facing such figures, the OECD still admits the crisis will be recovered very soon.