Lisbon, Portugal. Flickr: some rights reserved
In the aftermath of an election won by the conservatives (38.6%) and in an astonishing and smart move, Antonio Costa, the current leader of the Socialist Party (32.3%), managed to bring about two separate agreements with both the communists (8.3%) and the radical left (10.2%). This unexpected development has dramatically changed Portugal´s political landscape. Out of the blue, the opposition leader was able to turn around a defeat into an apparent victory. It is uncertain, though, how long it will last.
An anti-austerity executive will be leading Portugal, at least for the nearest future, after the centre-right coalition fell short of an absolute majority (107 seats out of a 230 seats Parliament). This has happened before in other countries, but is an odd and unexpected development that has no precedent in Portuguese politics.
