Hours on from the lukewarm PSD-CDS “victory”, Portugal’s punchy Bloco de Esquerda – flushed with the success of having more than doubled its seats in parliament – is ready to present a motion to reject any government formed by the centre-right-wing coalition Portugal à Frente.
Joining BE is the PCP communist party, whose leader Jerónimo Sousa says it would be “intolerable” if President Cavaco Silva allows the government to continue.
At issue, smoulders the PSD-CDS’ loss of its parliamentary majority.
As international observers remark throughout the world: “Now what?” With no clear winner, the only reality is that anything the PSD-CDS try to push through parliament now could easily be toppled by the strength of opposition parties.
Even Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble has admitted “it won’t be easy to form a government in Portugal” on the strength of results so far.
As national media explains, overseas votes from Portuguese émigrés are still coming in, and won’t be finally quantified for days.
But the bottom line is that the “winning” coalition has at least eight seats less in parliament that it needs.
And that’s the issue that has inspired left wingers to present their motion of rejection.
Talking on radio TSF, BE’s Pedro Filipe Soares said: “If the President of the Republic insists on maintaining the PSD-CDS government that in losing its absolute majority has also lost its absolute power, then we will present a motion of rejection.”
In customary battle-cry, Jerónimo Sousa stressed: “the election results confirm a strong defeat of the PSD and CDS which have lost their absolute majority and are being strongly chastised by the Portuguese people.”
Even last night, Passos Coelho told his party faithful that he would be in touch with the PS to try and iron out a way forwards.
But PS leader António Costa has rejected any idea of “contributing to negative majorities”.
Thus, on this Day of the Republic – the former Bank Holiday dedicated to the creation of Portuguese democracy and banished in the name of austerity – Portugal’s political future remains as uncertain as it was before the polling booths opened.
