The Buzz | Portugal’s prime minister cites Greece as warning for voters
Portugal’s prime minister is pointing to Greece’s troubles as he seeks to persuade voters to re-elect his center-right coalition government and reject anti-austerity proposals from the main opposition Socialist Party.
With elections three months away, Pedro Passos Coelho said that Portugal cannot afford a repeat of its 2011 financial crisis, when it faced bankruptcy and required a 78 billion euro (USD86 billion) bailout following six years of Socialist rule.
Passos Coelho said his government has started cutting government debt and reforming Portugal’s economy, with growth of 0.9 percent last year after three straight years of recession. He said in an interview with S.I.C. television “it’s in the hands of the Portuguese to make that a lasting change or risk another path.”
Austerity policies in Portugal and Greece’s woes are set to be a central theme in the election due in early October.
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