Brussels 05/10/2015
 
GUE/NGL President welcomes strong results for left parties in the Portuguese election
 
President of the European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament, Gabi Zimmer, welcomes the outcome of the election in Portugal yesterday: “We congratulate our friends of the Left Bloc and the Portuguese Communist Party for their very strong results in the Portuguese parliamentary election.”

The Left Bloc (BE) won 10.2 per cent of the votes and 19 seats in the Portuguese Parliament, and the Democratic Unity Coalition (CDU) (including the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP)) took 8.3 per cent of the votes and 17 seats in the 230-seat assembly.

The total number of seats going to the Left Bloc and the Democratic Unity Coalition increased from 24 to 36 this election.

Conversely, the right-wing conservative parties had their worst election result in the past thirty years.

Gabi Zimmer stated: “The Portuguese population has sent a strong signal against the austerity policies that the Conservative Government has been implementing in response to the economic crisis. Thus, Portugal is another EU country where the austerity doctrine imposed by the EU elites is now faltering.”

“The conservative forces in the EU still spin the old wives' tale of successful austerity measures in Portugal. But people no longer believe them.

“As harsh conditions attached to the loans taken out in 2011 have been implemented, the economy went into decline and one in four people is now living in poverty, one in three young adults is unemployed, and tens of thousands have left the country.

“The Conservative Government has squandered the water and energy supply to foreign investors, cut funding to education and health, and eroded workers' rights in order to save banks and insurance companies.

“Austerity only rewarded banks and corporations. More and more people in Portugal do not want to put up with this any longer.”

“The Left Bloc and the Democratic Unity Coalition have consistently campaigned against austerity, and for workers' rights and fair social policies in Portugal, and the voters have recognised this.”

GUE/NGL Press Contact:
Nikki Sullings  +32 22 83 27 60 / +32 483 03 55 75
Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20
European United Left / Nordic Green Left
European Parliamentary Group
ee-gue.spade