ELECTION IN PORTUGAL

&amp;NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Election in Portugal 45&amp;percnt; of&amp;semi;abstention&amp;comma; a disgrace <&sol;h2>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Yesterday <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;vivreauportugalconsulting&period;com&sol;legislative-au-portugal&sol;"><strong><span style&equals;"text-decoration&colon; underline&semi;">Sunday<&sol;span><&sol;strong><&sol;a> Portuguese parliamentary elections were held to elect the new government for the next 4 years&amp;period; Antonio Costa, the outgoing Prime Minister, was in line for a second term&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Unlike France, where we elect a president who then chooses his government, in Portugal you vote to elect the president, who has a simple duty of representation, and then the people elect the government through the legislative elections; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>The results that came out of the polls yesterday at 8 p.m. are indisputable, and we won't dwell on them&amp;comma; the incumbent party &amp;lpar;PS&amp;rpar; was re-elected&amp;period; We invite you to visit the website <a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" aria-label&equals;"eco &lpar;opens in a new tab&rpar;" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;eco&period;sapo&period;pt&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank"><span style&equals;"text-decoration&colon; underline&semi;"><strong>Eco<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;a> who wrote an excellent article on the subject&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<div class&equals;"wp-block-image"><figure class&equals;"aligncenter"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;vivreauportugalconsulting&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2019&sol;10&sol;election-au-portugal-1024x684&period;png" class&equals;"wp-image-6502"&sol;><&sol;figure><&sol;div>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Record abstention rate <&sol;h3>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>What shocked us most about the Portuguese parliamentary elections was the abstention rate&amp;comma; we had already seen in the European elections that the abstention rate was in the region of 70<strong>&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;&amp;percnt;<&sol;strong>&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Yesterday, the Portuguese had a simple civic duty: to elect a government that would respond to the expectations and needs of their taxpayers and move the country forward. Unfortunately, it seems that the Portuguese did not understand the importance of going to the polls for this civic duty. The abstention rate, we remind you, is 45%, or 5 million of the population who did not vote; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>The reasons given for the elections in Portugal are all the crazier&amp; some claim that the elections take place during the week&amp; others explain that the weekend is devoted to the family&amp; restaurants and beach outings&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>It's worth remembering that voting only takes 5 minutes out of a 24-hour day&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Portuguese sunflower <&sol;h3>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Antonio Costa&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;s record is not the most glorious&amp;comma; it is true that the country has emerged from the crisis&amp;comma; but this emergence is above all linked to the years of "&amp;ThinSpace;belt&amp;ThinSpace;" imposed by the right and the government of <strong>Passos Coelho<&sol;strong> The PS and Antonio Costa simply benefited from the fallout&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>It is worth remembering that over the past 4 years, Antonio Costa has made a number of blunders, the most notable of which was the purchase of a portion of the company's shares. <strong>TAP <&sol;strong>to the American-Brazilian investor who had been sold out by their previous government. <strong>a public service that's falling apart<&sol;strong>&amp;comma; <strong>a worsening housing crisis<&sol;strong>So yes, foreigners are investing in Portugal in droves&amp;comma; the tourism sector is booming&amp;period; But what happens if tourists abandon Portugal for another country &amp;quest; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>If there's one subject the government forgets to talk about, it's the industrial fabric&amp;period; So yes, major French groups have set up technical centers in Portugal&amp;comma; Mercedes and Volkswagen have opened factories&amp;period; Unfortunately, that's not enough&amp;comma; just like the increase in the minimum wage, which is not in line with the cost of living&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Fortunately&amp;comma; as long as the floodgates are open, the Portuguese are ready to close their eyes&amp;comma; until the moment they are asked to make an effort&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">A past that should encourage people to vote<&sol;h3>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Portugal and the Portuguese people have a very painful history&amp;comma; we won't go back over the Salazar years which marked the country's history and whose after-effects are still visible&amp;period; Precisely&amp;comma; this very painful past should encourage old and young alike to vote in Portugal's elections&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>It is important for the Portuguese people to understand that their votes at a<strong> value and impact<&sol;strong>They have the power to decide their country's future and help it grow, just as they have the power to give it a place in Europe; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;