Portugal’s centre-left Socialist Party was re-elected with an unexpected majority on Sunday, beating its main rival the centre-right Social Democratic Party.
The vote was held amid a surge of Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.
The Socialists won 41.7 per cent of the vote and 117 seats in the 230-seat Parliament, up from 108. Despite predictions of a tight race, the Social Democrats (PSD) landed 27.8 per cent for 71 seats.
Four seats still need to be decided in the coming days, with the results of votes cast abroad, but in 2019 the Socialists received two.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa has relied on two far-left parties to prop up his minority Socialist governments since 2015.
“An absolute majority doesn't mean absolute power. It doesn't mean to govern alone. It's an increased responsibility,” Mr Costa said in his victory speech.
“The conditions have been created to carry out investments and reforms for Portugal to be more prosperous, fairer, more innovative.”
The Socialist Party, which has governed for the past six years, and the PSD have alternated in power for decades.
The vote also handed gains to far-right party Chega (Enough), which became the third-biggest contingent with 12 seats, up from one, mirroring the rise of such formations elsewhere in Europe.
“Everything is going to be different in Parliament,” Chega leader Andre Ventura, a former TV sports commentator, told his supporters.
“From now on there won't be a soft opposition. We will assume the role of being the real opposition to the Socialists and restore dignity to this country.”
Sunday's snap poll was called after two far-left parties that had propped up Mr Costa's minority government sided with right-wing parties to reject his 2022 draft budget in October.
Turnout was between 46 and 51 per cent, according to the exit poll. At the last election in 2019, the turnout was 48.6 per cent.
About 1 million people aged over 18 were in home confinement on Sunday because of Covid-19 infections, health authorities said. They were allowed out to cast their ballots.
The stakes are high. Portugal, a country of 10.3 million people, is poised to begin using €45 billion ($50bn) of aid as a member of the EU to help spur the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two thirds of that sum is intended for public projects, such as major infrastructure, giving the next government a financial bonanza. The other third is to be awarded to private companies.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in an election-eve address to the nation, urged people to vote, declaring it “a way of saying that … nothing, and nobody, can silence our voice”.
He said the coming years would be marked by “leaving behind a painful pandemic (and) an urgent rebuilding of the economy”.
Miguel Morgado, 49, a company manager voting in Lisbon, the capital, said he wasn’t worried by the high virus infection rate and hoped the country would soon be back to normal.
“Above all, it is our civic duty to vote. The country needs it,” Mr Morgado said.
Since it came to power in 2015, the Socialist Party had relied on the support of its smaller allies in Parliament — the Left Bloc and the Portuguese Communist Party — to ensure the annual state budget had enough votes to pass.
But last November their differences, especially over public health spending and workers’ rights, were insurmountable, leaving Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa short of votes to pass his party’s plan.
The Socialist Party promised to increase the minimum monthly wage, earned by more than 800,000 people, to €900 ($1,020) by 2026. It is currently €705.
Low wages are a common grievance among voters. The Socialists also want to “start a national conversation” about working four days a week instead of five.
The Social Democratic Party is promising income tax cuts and more help for private companies, cutting corporate tax from 21 per cent to 17 per cent by 2024.
The winner will also have more deep-rooted problems to address, including an economy that cannot gain traction.
Portugal’s economy has been falling behind the rest of the 27-nation EU since 2000, when its real annual gross domestic product per capita was €16,230, compared with an EU average of €22,460.
By 2020, Portugal had edged higher to €17,070 while the bloc’s average surged to €26,380.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
SERIE A FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Roma v Udinese (5pm)
SPAL v Napoli (8pm)
Juventus v Torino (10.45pm)
Sunday
Sampdoria v AC Milan (2.30pm)
Inter Milan v Genoa (5pm)
Crotone v Benevento (5pm)
Verona v Lazio (5pm)
Cagliari v Chievo (5pm)
Sassuolo v Bologna (8pm)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm)
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
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The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
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