On this, the 51st anniversary of the revolution that dramatically turned Portugal from a dictatorship into a democracy, this is a remarkably peaceful and stable country.
The snap election that will take place 23 days from now, on 24th May, looks likely to establish a government not so very different from that formed after the coup on 25th April 1974.
Back then, the right- and left-centrist political parties struggled for control during a fairly short period of social unrest while a military junta held power.
The first free election was held exactly one year after the coup to establish a new constitution. One year later, the national election was won by the centre-left Socialist Party (PS), led by Mário Soares. Since then, the centre-left has been battling with the centre-right AD alliance, comprising the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the People’s Party (CDS-PP).
The two centrist parties are currently campaigning. There is no more than 1% between them in the prediction polls. Well behind is the third competitor, the far-right-wing Chega (“Enough”) party.
On a very important and joint-party personal level, many thanks will be given today to Celeste Caeiro, a restaurant worker who placed red carnations in the barrels of the revolutionary troops’ guns.
Meanwhile, as a relatively small and quiet country on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Europe, Portugal continues to express its strongest—and extremely sensible—opinions on the increasing troubles of the world, mainly the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Friday, 25th April is a national holiday in Portugal.
By Len Port and Catriona Anderson.
No comments:
Post a Comment