FAR-RIGHT 2024 ELECTION HOPES

 

Leaders of European far-right parties gathered in Lisbon at the end of the week to show solidarity with Portugal’s Chega Party that hopes to win the snap election in March next year.

Chega’s leader, Andre Ventura, welcomed his counterparts, including France’s Marine Le Pen. The gathering celebrated the surprise gains by Geert Wilder’s far-right party in the Dutch general election a few days earlier.

Chega, third in Portugal’s dissolved parliament, is hopeful of taking over from the long-standing Socialist Party, currently disgraced by a corruption investigation.

Chega, meaning “enough”, is a national conservative party, formed by Ventura in 2019, that has been gaining much support ever since.

Similar parties are the strongest, or gaining strength, in Switzerland Italy, Greece, Hungry, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Serbia and Spain.

The move to the far-right has included a convergence with centre-right groups.  This has involved national coalitions as well as shifts within the European Union - and it looks set to continue.

It is expected to change major policies in Brussels after the EU election in less than a year from now.  For example, it could press for an eastward expansion of the EU in the continent, and maybe a change in trading arrangements with China.

 A predominantly far-right European Council would have a different attitude to the United States should Donald Trump be re-elected president.

The most concerning problem for far-rightists in Europe is mass immigration from Africa.

 Results in next year’s election in Portugal - and even before that elections in other EU countries - are sure to play a key role in the way Europe progresses in the next few years with illegal immigration.

What Portugal and all other countries in Europe want to stop is an unmanageable number of illegal of immigrants being smuggled in by human traffickers.

Turkey, Greece and Italy have been inundated. The problem continues to move westward, confronting coast guard and other services in Spain and Portugal.

In Britain, politicians from the Labour left to the conservative right are alarmed not only by the number of illegal immigrants crossing the English channel from mainland Europe, but the tens if not  hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants annually seeking to study, or get employment as care workers or nurses, in many cases at 20% discount wages.   

In contrast, the number of Portuguese citizens going to live in Britain fell by 41% in the 12 months to September this year, according to official statistics published by the British government.

Portugal wants its useful citizens back from the UK and everywhere else, including the United States.  A support programme is in place until at least the end of this year to financially help emigrants and their families returning from abroad who want to find jobs for themselves or set up companies.

The arrangement includes citizens who left Portugal between the end of 2015 and started working in this country before the end of this year. It is not yet clear, but it seems very possible this deadline will be extended.

SNAP ELECTION NEXT MARCH

 

 

A snap general election is to be held in Portugal on 10th March next year. The dissolution of the government following the resignation of Prime Minister António Costa is expected in mid-January. Meanwhile Mr. Costa will remain in a caretaker position.

 

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called for the election because of  Mr. Costas’s sudden resignation amid a corruption scandal. The speaker of parliament said on Friday that parliament would “continue to scrutinise” the Socialist government until it is dissolved. 

 

 

Mr. Costa, prime minister since November 2015, resigned because of a major investigation into his administration’s handling of concessions for lithium mining and a hydrogen project. The Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating Mr. Costa and several members of his cabinet for alleged crimes of active and passive corruption, prevarication, and influence pedalling.

 

Mr. Costa announced his resignation on Tuesday this week in a televised statement just hours after prosecutors detained his chief of staff over the corruption allegations.

 

“The duties of the prime minister are not compatible with any suspicion of my integrity,” he told to a televised press conference. “In these circumstances, I have presented my resignation to the President of the Republic.”

 

When the prime minister met with the president to inform him of his decision he said his conscience was clear, but that he would not stand for another term as prime minister or leader of Portugal’s Socialist Party.

 

He said that he totally trusts the justice system and has promised to collaborate with it over the scandal. “I want to say eye to eye to the Portuguese that my conscience is clear of any illicit or censured act,” he said.

 

In accepting Mr. Costa’s resignation, President de Sousa summoned the various political parties for consultations. Observers had expected the president to call not only for the dissolution of government, but to propose a date for a new general election, which he has now done rather than accept any proposal for replacement Socialist leader. . 

 

This crisis comes at a particularly awkward time as parliament is due to vote on Portugal’s 2024 budget later this month.

 

In addition to Mr. Costa’s chief of staff, Vitor Escaria, four other people, including a business consultant, have been detained, according to the prosecutor’s office. They are due to appear shortly before a judge.

 

About 140 detectives reportedly searched many residential and government premises, including that of Mr. Costa and the infrastructure and environment minister, João Galamba, as well as municipal offices in Sines.

 

With the “green transition” in mind, the European Union wants to reduce its imports on lithium and other raw materials from China, Africa and South America. Europe’s increasing demand for electric cars is highlighting Portugal’s valuable lithium reserves in the north of the country and a huge green hydrogen project in the historic coastal town of Sines in the district of Setubal south of Lisbon. The projects have been highly controversial and provoked environmental protests.

 

 

This developing story will be updated.

PRIME MINISTER COSTA RESIGNS

 

 

Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is considering calling a general election following the sudden resignation of Prime Minister António Costa amid a corruption scandal.

 

Costa, Portugal’s prime minister since November 2015, has resigned as Portugal’s prime minister due to an investigation into his administration’s handling of concessions for lithium mining and a hydrogen project.

 

The Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Mr. Costa and several members of his cabinet for alleged crimes of active and passive corruption, prevarication, and influence pedalling.

 

Mr. Costa announced his sudden resignation on Tuesday in a televised statement just hours after prosecutors detained his chief of staff over the corruption allegations.

 

“The duties of the prime minister are not compatible with any suspicion of my integrity,” he told to a televised press conference. “In these circumstances, I have presented my resignation to the President of the Republic.”

The prime minister met with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to inform him of his decision and said that his conscience was clear, but that he would not stand for another term as prime minister and leader of Portugal’s Socialist Party.

 

He said that he totally trusts the justice system and has promised to collaborate with it over the scandal. “I want to say eye to eye to the Portuguese that my conscience is clear of any illicit or censured act,” he said.

 

In accepting Mr. Costa’s resignation, President de Sousa said he would hold consultations with the various political parties. It is up to him to decide if parliament with its current Socialists majority must be dissolved to make way for a new general election. An alternative for the president would be to choose a new prime minister from the Socialist Party.

 

This crisis comes at a particularly awkward time as parliament is due to vote on Portugal’s 2024 budget later this month.

 

In addition to Mr. Costa’s chief of staff, Vitor Escaria, four other people, including a business consultant, have been detained, according to the prosecutor’s office. They are due to appear shortly before a judge.

 

About 140 detectives reportedly searched many residential and government premises, including that of the infrastructure and environment minister João Galamba, as well as municipal offices in Sines.

 

With the green transition in mind, the European Union wants to reduce its imports on lithium and other raw materials from China, Africa and South America. Europe’s increasing demand for electric cars is highlighting Portugal’s valuable lithium reserves in the north of the country and a huge green hydrogen project in the historic coastal town of Sines in the district of Setubal south of Lisbon.  The projects have been highly controversial and evoked environmental protests.  .

This developing story will be updated.