Portugal was plunged into a political crisis yesterday after the prime minister quit following a showdown with parliament over his new austerity plan, a move that boosts the chances that Lisbon will seek a financial bailout.
Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates tendered his resignation late on Wednesday, saying he could not govern without support after all opposition parties voted against his minority government’s latest spending cuts and tax hikes.
The austerity plan — the government’s fourth in a year — was aimed at avoiding the need for a bailout of an estimated 50 billion euros (US$70.4 billion) for Portugal to help it meet debt repayment obligations, a package similar to those granted fellow eurozone members Greece and Ireland last year.
“This crisis will have very serious consequences in terms of the confidence Portugal needs to enjoy with institutions and financial markets,” Socrates said after presenting his resignation to Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva.
The events in Portugal threaten to derail a two-day EU summit that was to start yesterday in Brussels that had been expected to finalize the bloc’s response to a year-long eurozone debt crisis.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday she regretted that parliament had rejected Socrates’ austerity plan, describing it as “correct and courageous.”
Silva will hold meetings with all political parties today and the government will retain full powers at least until then, the president’s office said in a statement.
That leaves Socrates and his government in place with full powers for the duration of the EU summit, although as an outgoing leader, his authority is severely restricted.
The president can now invite parties with representation in parliament to form a coalition government or, in the more likely scenario, he can dissolve parliament and call snap elections.
If he opts fresh elections, the vote must be held at least 55 days after they are called.
As the sun sets on another scorching Yangon day, the hot and bothered descend on the Myanmar city’s parks, the coolest place to spend an evening during yet another power blackout. A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted Southeast Asia this week, sending the mercury to 45°C and prompting thousands of schools to suspend in-person classes. Even before the chaos and conflict unleashed by the military’s 2021 coup, Myanmar’s creaky and outdated electricity grid struggled to keep fans whirling and air conditioners humming during the hot season. Now, infrastructure attacks and dwindling offshore gas reserves mean those who cannot afford expensive diesel
Does Argentine President Javier Milei communicate with a ghost dog whose death he refuses to accept? Forced to respond to questions about his mental health, the president’s office has lashed out at “disrespectful” speculation. Twice this week, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni was asked about Milei’s English Mastiff, Conan, said to have died seven years ago. Milei, 53, had Conan cloned, and today is believed to own four copies he refers to as “four-legged children.” Or is it five? In an interview with CNN this month, Milei referred to his five dogs, whose faces and names he had engraved on the presidential baton. Conan,
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