Why the next Portuguese election will not see the surge of a left-wing challenger like Podemos or Syriza

Portugal was one of the countries hardest hit by the Eurozone crisis, yet in contrast to countries such as Greece and Spain, there has been no sharp rise in support for radical left or anti-establishment parties. Ahead of the next Portuguese legislative election on 4 October, Alexandre Afonso writes that there are a number of possible reasons why a surge in radical-left support has failed to materialise, including Portugal’s pre-crisis economic trajectory, and the fact that the centre-left Socialist Party has managed to escape taking the blame for the country’s economic situation.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Portuguese legislative election, 2015 http://www.europeansources.info/record/portuguese-legislative-election-2015/

FT, 22.09.15: Greece looms over Portugal’s election battle http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/821fc400-604d-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html

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