HAS Portugal just undergone another coup?
Thousands of voters have taken to the streets in protest against a perceived right-wing takeover following a general election where left-wing parties gained over half the votes.
Yet while social media is on fire with claims that a coup has been forced on the country by the EU and the financial markets, mainstream media across the world has largely failed to report what is happening.
This has led to accusations that the traditional media is in cahoots with the “EU Nazi coup”.
It’s certainly odd – but then even odder is the fact that Britain’s Daily Telegraph, which is not nicknamed the Torygraph for nothing, is one of the few newspapers to report on this apparent attempt to keep the anti-austerity parties out of power.
A right-wing paper sticking up for the left? What is going on?
ANOTHER GREECE?
On the face of it, it does look like outside forces are pressuring Portugal to conform to the anti-austerity measures imposed after the country defaulted on its debt in 2011.
Many believe it is the Greek story all over again, with Portugal forced to capitulate to the money markets just as Greece was earlier this year after voting decisively for anti-austerity parties.
This perception has been magnified by the actions of the current president Anibal Cavaco Silva who refused to appoint a left-wing coalition government despite the coalition winning a parliamentary majority with 122 seats out of 230 on 50.75 per cent of the vote.
Instead he insisted that right-winger Pedro Passos Coelho, with 38.5 per cent of the vote, should carry on as prime minister on the grounds that a left-wing coalition would alarm both Brussels and the foreign financial markets.
“After we carried out an onerous programme of financial assistance, entailing heavy sacrifices, it is my duty, within my constitutional powers, to do everything possible to prevent false signals being sent to financial institutions, investors and markets,” he said.
“This is the worst moment for a radical change to the foundations of our democracy.
“In 40 years of democracy, no government in Portugal has ever depended on the support of anti-European forces, that is to say forces that campaigned to abrogate the Lisbon Treaty, the Fiscal Compact, the Growth and Stability Pact, as well as to dismantle monetary union and take Portugal out of the euro, in addition to wanting the dissolution of Nato.”
CRISIS
His words were met with fury by the Socialists’ leader Antonio Costa, who told the president he had made a “grave mistake”.
“It is unacceptable to usurp the exclusive powers of parliament. The Socialists will not take lessons from Professor Cavaco Silva on the defence of our democracy,” he said.
Radical Green MEP Rui Tavares also weighed in, accusing the president of creating a constitutional crisis.
“He is saying that he will never allow the formation of a government containing Leftists and Communists. People are amazed by what has happened.”
Tavares went on to claim the president was deliberately misinterpreting the Left’s policies to create fear and alarm in the financial markets and Brussels, pointing out that the Communists and Leftists have dropped their previous demands for a Euro exit and a withdrawal from Nato.
What Costa does want is a relaxation of the austerity measures and more spending on health and education but even those reasonable sounding demands clash with current EU policies.
DANGEROUS
As Portuguese voters took to the streets at the weekend in protest, outrage grew on Twitter and other social media sites.
“In Portugal we are witnessing the makings of a genuine coup with the unwillingness of the establishment there to accept the outcome of an election and the support won by parties who oppose EU austerity,” said Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams.
“I believe in Europe and the Union of its peoples. But I cannot support THIS European Union,” tweeted George Galloway.
The Telegraph also spared no vitriol, accusing Silva of abusing his position to “impose a reactionary ideological agenda, in the interests of creditors and the EMU establishment, and dressing it up with remarkable chutzpah as a defence of democracy.
“This is a dangerous demarche. The Portuguese conservatives and their media allies behave as if the Left has no legitimate right to take power, and must be held in check by any means.
“Greece’s Syriza movement, Europe’s first radical-Left government in Europe since the Second World War, was crushed into submission for daring to confront eurozone ideology.
“Now the Portuguese Left is running into a variant of the same meat-grinder.”
IS THIS A COUP OR NOT?
So is this a right-wing coup? Not everyone agrees.
According to the Portuguese constitution, after an election the President is allowed to let the party with the most seats form the government even if that party does not have a legislative majority.
Indeed this has been the pattern in Portugal ever since the 1974 Carnation Revolution which replaced the Fascist dictatorship.
Along with his more inflammatory remarks the president did point out: “However, the appointment of the Prime Minister by the President of the Republic does not finalise the process of forming a Government.
The final decision belongs to Parliament or, more precisely, to the Members of Parliament.
The rejection of the Government Programme, by an absolute majority of Members of Parliament, implies its resignation”.
Commented Chris Hanretty, a reader in politics at the University of East Anglia: “This all means that the EU has not prevented Leftist parties from forming a government. The EU did nothing.
"The Portuguese President made a decision. He decided to ask an (1) incumbent PM who is (2) leader of the party with the most seats and who is (3) of the same party as the President, to form a government. If the right is unsuccessful, then the government will be voted down, and the left will have the chance to put together an alternative.
“In all, there’s nothing in this episode that can’t be explained by reference to Portuguese politics?–?or even by reference to common theories of prime ministerial designation. But Eurosceptics have chosen to interpret it in a way which fits their own views. When it comes to British Eurosceptics’ comments on other countries, they always think the song is about them.”
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