Portugal
Portugal performs in the high range in Representation and in the mid-range in the remaining three categories (Rights, Rule of Law and Participation) of the Global State of Democracy framework. Its performance in measures of Local Democracy, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Movement and Elected Government are particularly high and the country is among the world’s top 25 per cent of performers in a large majority of factors. Over the past five years, it has experienced declines in multiple factors of Representation, Rights and Rule of Law. These have been due in part to cases of corruption and police violence. Portugal is home to a high-income economy dominated by services and manufacturing.
The country’s modern-day democracy was born between 1974 and 1976, the period between the Carnation Revolution (which brought down the authoritarian regime of the Estado Novo) and the promulgation of the country’s democratic Constitution. In the years since, Portugal has strengthened the independence of the judiciary by introducing multiple reforms to guide the transformation towards a citizen-centered system, and balanced the power of the executive and legislative through a strong regime of checks and balances.
Current Portuguese politics are characterized by a cost of living and housing crisis, as well as struggles with corruption, including in top executive functions of the government. Additionally, despite an extensive anti-corruption legal and institutional framework, the country struggles with its implementation, efficiency and accessibility, particularly to improve public access to information.
Popular discontent due to lower wages and rising uncertainty have changed Portugal’s political landscape after years of stability. Additionally, populist attitudes and anti-immigration sentiments have been amplified after recent elections. Despite the approval of a National Plan to combat racism and discrimination, which focuses on the country’s colonial legacy, both issues persist. Immigrants from former colonies, such as Brazilians and people of African descent, as well as Roma continue to experience disproportionately high rates of housing deprivation relative to the rest of the population and struggle to access essential services. Additionally, the Council of Europe has raised concerns about police violence towards minorities and ill-treatment of prisoners in Portugal, especially against people of African descent.
Portugal performs in the high-range in Gender Equality, but the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women noted the absence of a law prohibiting femicide and an increase in dismissals of pregnant women from employment. Portugal has seen recent advances in LGBTQIA+ rights, such as the passage of legislation enabling legal gender recognition based on self-determination and prohibiting health services from discriminating between blood donors based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch both Access to Justice and Predictable Enforcement, particularly in view of issues with drawn-out investigations and court judgments leading to delayed accountability for corruption cases. It will also be important to watch Rights, especially in light of reported cases of discrimination against marginalized groups, but also following important signals of improvement. These include amendments to the penal code to protect victims of crimes against sexual freedom and a strategy for better integration of Roma communities. Finally, it will be crucial to monitor Economic Equality, due to the role of youth unemployment and high inflation in fueling rising discontent.
Last updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
October 2024
Police shooting sparks riots
On 23 October, a police officer fatally shot 43-year-old Odair Moniz, originally from Cabo Verde, leading thousands to protest police violence in Lisbon in a demonstration organised by Vida Justa, a rights organisation. In parallel, riots broke out around Lisbon resulting in injuries, torched vehicles, and 16 arrests. The police allege that Moniz fled and resisted arrest on the night of the shooting, and initially claimed that Moniz was armed with a knife. The officer involved has been charged with manslaughter, and both the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration and the police have opened investigations into the incident. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had previously expressed concern over the excessive use of force by Portuguese police, particularly against people of African descent.
Sources: PSP, Euractiv, The Guardian, Reuters, Vida Justa, Publico
June 2024
Government’s Anti-Corruption Agenda provides new momentum to tackle corruption challenges
On 20 June, the Council of Ministers approved a new Anti-Corruption Agenda, a set of 32 measures developed by the Ministry of Justice. The measures focus on corruption prevention, including improving transparency in the relationship between state and private entities and individuals. The Agenda also includes measures to strengthen whistleblower protection in public procurement and proposes the creation of a “blacklist” of state suppliers who are prevented from accessing public contracts. Additionally, there are measures to fight corruption in the public sector, including to strengthen basic and secondary education in topics such as ethics and financial literacy to create a “demanding civil society in the face of corruption.” As a next step, the technical report underpinning the Agenda is open to public comment until 12 August. Portugal has struggled with high-level corruption and the 2023 EU Rule of Law report for Portugal noted that the application of rules on conflicts of interest for high-level parliamentary and government officials raises concerns.
Sources: Ministry of Justice (1), Ministry of Justice (2), Portuguese Government, Euractiv, Publico, International IDEA, European Commission
March 2024
Conservatives narrowly win snap general elections
On 10 March, Portugal held an early general election, after Prime Minister Antonio Costa (Socialist Party) resigned in November over corruption allegations. The 230 seats in Portugal’s unicameral Parliament were contested across 22 constituencies (comprised of 18 metropolitan constituencies, the two autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, and two constituencies for Portuguese citizens living abroad). The conservative Democratic Alliance coalition narrowly won 28.84 per cent of votes (78 seats), while the Socialist Party retained 28 per cent (78 seats). The far-right Chega party came in third with 18.07 per cent of the vote, securing 50 seats. A total of nine parties will be represented in Parliament. Voter turnout was 59.84 per cent. A total of 76 of the 230 seats in the new Parliament were won by women (33 per cent).
Sources: International IDEA, OSCE, Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, NPR, Portugal Resident, Expresso, Parliament
November 2023
Prime Minister resigns amid corruption probe
On 7 November, Prime Minister António Costa resigned after he was implicated in a corruption probe, known as “Operation Influencer,” involving domestic lithium mining and green hydrogen production contracts. The Public Prosecution Service ordered raids of the Prime Minister’s official residence and the Environment and Infrastructure ministries. Days later, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa called snap elections to be held on 10 March 2024, and Costa will serve as caretaking Prime Minister until then. Costa has been Prime Minister since 2015, and his Socialist Party secured an absolute majority in snap elections in January 2022. Several other officials were indicted as part of the probe on charges of corruption and malfeasance, which the presiding judge has since narrowed down to influence peddling. These officials include Infrastructure Minister João Galamba, the head of the Portuguese environmental protection agency APA, and Costa’s chief of staff.
Sources: Euronews (1), Euronews (2), DW, Renascenca (1), Renascenca (2), Público
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