Oct 07, 2015 Portuguese Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho recently became the first European leader to be re-elected after imposing hardships on voters under the international bailout packages
Voters recently cast their ballots in the country’s general election, in which the incumbent Prime Minister and former Lisbon Mayor Antonio Costa emerged as major contenders.
After taking office in 2011, Mr. Passos Coelho raised taxes and reduced public-sector salaries and on other expenditures.
During the election, prime minster Coelho said:
“I appeal to everyone to vote and to go against the tendency to abstain, they can participate and choose between the multiple options offered and choose the best one. I sincerely hope the Portuguese vote…Now it’s important that everyone can express their willingness for the future, it’s a day of hope too because in the next four years the upcoming days will be very different from the past four,”
While also performing his civic duty, opposition leader Antonio Costa said:
“I am naturally very confident about the results of the PS (Socialist Party), especially confident about the future of our country and about the ambition that the Portuguese have, after all these years, to have a new cycle of hope to face the future with new confidence.”
Despite retaining the prime minister seat, the Centre-right government failed to win a majority in parliament, which has raised the prospect of political uncertainty.