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Portuguese president defends need for majority government

Xinhua, May 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva said a majority government was necessary to meet community rules on Saturday, Portuguese Lusa News agency reported.

"After having been subjected to an adjustment program which imposed heavy sacrifices for the Portuguese, we need a government that has majority support at parliament, in order to comply with community rules," Cavaco Silva said during a visit to Viseu city, around 290 km north of Lisbon.

He pointed out that community rules involve the control of the budget deficit, the sustainability of public debt and reforms for a more competitive economy.

Cavaco Silva's comments came as tension rises among Portugal's main political parties before the general elections expected to take place in September or October.

The leaders of both parties of the ruling coalition, the Social Democrat Party and CDS-PP, recently revealed they will be forming an alliance for the elections to face the main opposition Socialist Party, as opposed to 2011 when they ran on separate tickets and secured parliamentary majority afterwards.

The coalition have faced backlash since gaining power for the harsh austerity they have applied under the bailout program they signed with the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank in May 2011 and completed last year.

Recent opinion polls showed that the coalition are running neck-and-neck with the Socialist Party, which wants to put an end to austerity while pledging to boost growth and create employment. Endit