Dhe fight seemed hopeless. Even António Costa no longer seemed to believe in an absolute majority, which he had said was the election goal. If his Socialists are not at least the strongest force again, he will resign, the incumbent Prime Minister announced as a precaution.
In Lisbon, there was already speculation that the 60-year-old socialist would not fall low after that and could soon find a job with the EU or the UN – like UN Secretary-General António Guterres and former EU Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso, both of whom were previously Portuguese Prime Ministers was.
But now António Costa is eclipsing his predecessors. At the helm of government since late 2015, he will become the longest-serving prime minister since the Carnation Revolution, overtaking conservative Aníbal Cavaco Silva. For the second time, Costa also wins an absolute majority for the Socialists.
He has been a member of the PS since he was 14 years old. His father, the writer Orlando da Costa, was arrested as a communist during the dictatorship. He was from Goa. His mother was a journalist and feminist. Costa emulated his role model, the American series’ stalwart lawyer and investigator Perry Mason, and went to law school.
The Benfica fan began his political career in local politics, which he – after several ministerial posts and a detour to the European Parliament – crowned with the mayoralty of Lisbon. It was all the more painful for him when PS lost the post in September. Costa had been very active in the local election campaign. It looked like the charismatic politician’s popularity had also been damaged by the pandemic.
An even bigger setback followed a little later: the budget failed in parliament because of its two former partners, the left bloc and the communists. Costa, who has ruled with a minority government with changing majorities since 2019, had miscalculated politically and took risks. Instead of seeking a last-minute compromise, he let elections come to the fore.
So far, the political success of the shrewd tactician has been based primarily on his great negotiating skills. Now, for the first time, he has his own majority, but he does not want to give up the dialogue. He wants to meet with the other parties as soon as possible. “In a democracy, no one rules alone. We want to govern for everyone and with everyone,” he promised on election night.
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