Election tests four years of austerity

LISBON: The Portuguese voted yesterday in an election seen as a test of four years of austerity, with the centre-right coalition that pushed through the punishing bailout seen as the favourite but unlikely to win a clear mandate.

Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho’s “Portugal Ahead” coalition — joining his centre-right Social Democratic Party with the conservative Popular Party — has made a surprising comeback in opinion polls, with most putting it ahead despite the harsh cuts it has enacted.

“We have had very tough times in the past four years, with a lot of sacrifices. I am confident on the work I have done,” Mr Passos Coelho told journalists after voting in a Lisbon suburb.

The coalition, in power since 2011, had 37.5% support against 32.5% for the main opposition Socialists led by Antonio Costa, a popular former mayor of Lisbon, in an average of the latest surveys.

The rival Socialists have promised to ease the painful reforms, but neither side is likely to win an absolute majority in the 230-seat parliament.

“The Portuguese want a change of government and policies, and open a new cycle of hope,” Mr Costa said after casting his ballot.

Analysts warn that Portugal risks a period of political instability just as it seeks to safeguard an economic recovery after emerging from a debt crisis. With apathy gripping many voters, pollsters predict the numbers opting to stay at home may even exceed the record 42% recorded in the last election.

“Nothing will change anyway. Austerity will continue,” said Manuel Augusto, 75, who said he voted for the Socialists.

Some among the more than 9.6 million electorate were more optimistic.

“I voted for those in power. Today, the country is doing a bit better,” said Domingos Birra, a 71-year-old pensioner.

Mr Passos Coelho, a 51-year-old economist, campaigned on his record of having navigated Portugal safely through the debt crisis and to a return to growth last year after three years of recession. Polls closed at 1am Thai time today with first results expected about an hour later.