Off the wire
Italy grants Albania 16.5 mln euros to empower energy system  • Wildfire still burning on Croatian coast  • Recast: Italy's former regional governor among 47 indicted for alleged ILVA environmental disaster  • France, Iran to reinforce cooperation following Vienna accord: Elysee  • Roundup: U.S. stocks keep falling on weak earnings  • U.S., Turkey to strengthen security cooperation  • Chinese embassy in Slovakia celebrates 88th PLA founding anniversary  • 1st LD Writethru: UN chief slams deadly terrorist attacks in Cameroon  • Urgent: Obama urges Britain to stay in EU  • 1st LD: Obama urges Britain to stay in EU  
You are here:   Home

Portugal's main opposition party asks gov't to stop privatizations "immediately"

Xinhua, July 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Portugal's Socialist Party, the country's main opposition, called on the center-right ruling coalition to "immediately stop" its privatization plans on Thursday.

"A privatization process is underway in the transport, water and atmosphere sectors and the Socialist Party demands these processes be immediately stopped," Joao Galamba from the Socialist Party said in a statement, according to Portuguese Lusa News Agency.

The statement was released after Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva announced on Wednesday that the general elections will take place on Oct. 4, which will see the Portuguese vote after several years of painful austerity implemented under the 78 billion euro (abut 86 billion U.S. dollars) bailout program the country signed in 2011 with international lenders.

Part of that deal was to privatize state-owned companies, such as airline TAP which was sold to an American-Brazilian consortium last month. Endit