| Portuguese experience for all of Europe Today will be the first meeting of the new Portuguese government, headed by Santana Lopes. The leader of the right-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD) replaced Durán Barroso as prime minister. The previous coalition government of the Social Democrats and the small far-right Popular Party (PP) resigned in early July after Durán Barroso accepted an invitation to lead the European Commission. From November 1, the Portuguese will replace Italian Romano Prodi in this post.
President Jorge Sampaio made what he called a “difficult decision” not to hold early parliamentary elections and allowed the PSD-PP coalition, which has a small majority there, to form a new government whose mandate will expire in two years. In protest, the head of the largest opposition Socialist Party, Ferro Rodrigues, resigned from his post. He can be understood. In the event of early elections, the socialists would have received, judging by the polls, an absolute majority in the republican assembly.
The new government, perhaps the most right-wing since the establishment of democracy in the country in April 1974, "will continue the policies of the Barroso cabinet." It is aimed at reducing social programs and investments in healthcare, and at privatizing state-owned sectors of the economy. Over the previous two years, unemployment in the country increased from 3.5 to 6.5%. Thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises went bankrupt. In 2003, Portugal confidently ranked last among 15 EU countries in terms of living standards. But the office of Santana Lopes was greeted with enthusiasm by big business. In 2003, the number of millionaires in the EU grew by 2%, and in Portugal by 4%. Alexander ZDITOVETSKY, Lisbon |
|
