Portugal: Antonio Costa, a happy socialist

Audio 03:30

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa delivers a speech on January 30, 2022 after his victory in the early legislative elections.

Getty Images - Horacio Villalobos

By: Juliette Gheerbrant Follow

3 mins

Antonio Costa was officially reappointed as Prime Minister this week.

Sunday January 30, the socialist created the surprise: his party won the absolute majority of the votes in the early legislative elections, The wear and tear of power did not have a hold on Antonio Costa, who has governed since 2015 and whom all the polls gave as the loser .

Portrait of a politician that some European socialists look upon with envy.

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At the announcement of his victory, Antonio Costa wants to reassure.

“ 

Absolute majority is not absolute power,

” he said

, “to govern is to govern with everyone and for everyone.

Lawyer, lover of puzzles and good food, the one his father from Goa affectionately calls " 

Babouch" fell into the political pot from childhood.

Son of an activist, he learned French by reading

Le Nouvel Observateur

and at 14, he stuck up posters.

It was at this time when Portugal was emerging from the dictatorship that Margarida Marques, Socialist MEP met him.

He has always been someone very involved in politics since a very young age,

" she says. 

You have to know the Portuguese political reality in the 1970s and 1980s: we didn't sleep, we were full-time political activists.

 »

A man of compromise 

Antonio Costa quickly rose through the ranks of the Socialist Party. He is Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, briefly MEP, Mayor of Lisbon. For the historian of contemporary Portugal, Yves Léonard, the Prime Minister has some assets for this: “ 

Antonio Costa has always shown great finesse, great subtlety, but also a lot of good nature. He is an affable and empathetic man.

He is someone who combines both tactical skill, a pleasant personality and also firmness, the ability to decide and he can have a shaking hand when necessary. 

»

In 2015, to win the legislative elections, Antonio Costa set out to bring people together: “ 

He went looking for people who were not with him in politics and he tried to unify the different thoughts and political currents in the party.

I think that's an important part of his personality.

 »

Gathering again when he put in place a formal agreement for four years then tacit with the far left and the Communists to govern.

Until the fall of the government on the draft budget of 2022.

“ 

The left of the left has criticized him a lot for not having a certain number of themes relating to social protection, precarious work, the minimum wage.

He was criticized for not going far enough.

 »

As summed up by Yves Léonard, these issues of low wages and precariousness were at the heart of the campaign.

The pandemic has hit the economy hard and dealt a blow to the economic success achieved since 2015: exit from austerity, return to 35 hours, raising the minimum wage while controlling deficits.

We have spoken of a “Portuguese miracle”.

“ 

He very clearly said when he took office in 2015: “We are going to turn the page on austerity by fully respecting our European commitments”.

First out of loyalty to the contract, to European membership, but also because Portugal is very dependent on community aid. 

»

He has everything of a future European leader

In Brussels, Antonio Costa fought hard to raise the equity necessary for the recovery plan.

Both a technician and a diplomat, he has, according to his friend Margarida Marques, everything of a future European leader: “ 

He has the competence and the confidence of his peers.

I can even say: not only socialists.

He has a great ability to build European compromises, to persuade and the other leaders trust him.

 »

For the moment, Antonio Costa must meet the expectations of the Portuguese who have massively trusted him, but also of those who have turned to the far right.

The Chega Party went from 1 to 12 elected to Parliament.

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