Portugal's Leftist Government: From Sick Man to Poster Boy?

In 2015, for the first time in the history of Portuguese democracy, radical left parties relinquished their status as outsiders and lent their support to a Socialist Party cabinet. Defying the expectations of many, this government survived its first years. In fact, it did more than survive: while la...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South European society & politics 2018-10, Vol.23 (4), p.503-524
Main Authors: Fernandes, Jorge M., Magalhães, Pedro C., Santana-Pereira, José
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bloco de Esquerda
Constituents
contract parliamentarism
Democracy
Expectations
Identity
Ideology
Left wing politics
Liberalism
Minority governments
Parliamentary systems
PCP
Portuguese Socialist Party
radical left
Radicalism
Rules
Socialism
Socialist parties
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Summary:In 2015, for the first time in the history of Portuguese democracy, radical left parties relinquished their status as outsiders and lent their support to a Socialist Party cabinet. Defying the expectations of many, this government survived its first years. In fact, it did more than survive: while largely fulfilling the interparty agreements that originated it, the government has presided over positive economic developments and even managed to abide by EU budgetary rules. How was this possible? We show that the political solution found, as well as the policies and practices that sustain it, involve a form of a 'contract parliamentarism'. This solution has allowed the parties to the left of the Socialists to obtain policy benefits without compromising their core identity or significantly hindering the support of their constituents.
ISSN:1360-8746
1743-9612
DOI:10.1080/13608746.2018.1525914