Armando Franca/AP Photo
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa waves to supporters following election results in which Portugal’s center-left Socialist Party won a third straight general election, returning it to power, January 31, 2022, in Lisbon.
Let us take a moment to salute our Portuguese brothers and sisters. As of last Sunday’s election, Portugal is the only country in Europe where a governing socialist party has earned an absolute majority in the national parliament.
Portugal’s popular prime minister, Antonio Costa, a former mayor of Lisbon, did it the old-fashioned way, by being a credible leader and delivering benefits that serve regular people.
Portugal has successfully pushed back on the preferred austerity policies of the EU, running an expansive, high-employment economy, coupled with improved educational and social outlays, as well as a prudent public budget. The voters reciprocated.
Costa’s Socialist Party, until last week, governed in a left coalition that included the Communists, independent leftists, and the Greens. The bloc often bickered. It was known as the geringonça, the Portuguese word for contraption.
Costa’s most recent budget provided higher minimum wages and pension payments. His communist allies blocked the budget, calling for even more.
Costa took a big gamble and called a snap election, asking voters to give his party a clear majority. Until last week, it looked as if the move had backfired and a center-right coalition could get elected.
But when the votes were counted, the Socialists’ share had grown from 32 percent when the left coalition first came to power in 2015, to 37 percent in 2019, to 42 percent last Sunday, which translated into an absolute majority of seats.
Moral of the story: Strong progressive leaders with clear programs that serve regular working people can win and win again.
