Portuguese Election is on Sunday

[Bono]

Just thought I'd let you know. 
also, I'll post the results here Sunday, and I may post a few thoughts about the campaign.

[Notre Dame rules!]

How well do you think that your candidates will do on Sunday?

[minionofmidas]

Still looking like a Socialist shoe-in?
That campaign totally passed under the radar screen here in Germany...or maybe I'm just not reading the Rundschau regularly enough.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I only heard something that the election campaign was temporarily halted, because of the death of the last eye-witness of a Marian Apparition (?).


These are poll results I found:



It seems the socialists (PS) are leading by a wide margin.

[Umengus]

A landslide victory for the socialists... Bono, if you can give to us some informations about the campaign, about why socialist will win?... thanks!

[Bono]

well, in the two week period before the elections poll results can't be released, therefore, we actually have no idea how it may be developing. There were a few signs that the tide might be turning, altough maybe that's just me being overoptimistic.
The best thing we can hope for is a right-wing majority in spite of a socialist winning. Of course, in that situation it'd be up to the president, and there is no clue about what he'd do.
By the way, some parties called of campaign activities because of national mourn over the death of Lucia, the last "witness"(forgicve my protestant skepticism) if the "aparitions" in Fatima.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Senator Bono,

I thought that even Protestants beleived that God could speak to the faithful, past or present.

[Bono]

Senator Bono,

I thought that even Protestants beleived that God could speak to the faithful, past or present.

God, yes. Mary, no.

[ThePrezMex]

Hey Bono, I know you've done this before, but could you explain us a little bit about the other parties running? (not the two main parties).
Another question: If Durao Barroso hadn't resigned to go to the EU, when would the elections were scheduled to be? in that case, would the PDS would have been in a good position to win again?
Final one: who's leading the socialists now? how far left is he?

[Bono]

Hey Bono, I know you've done this before, but could you explain us a little bit about the other parties running? (not the two main parties).
Another question: If Durao Barroso hadn't resigned to go to the EU, when would the elections were scheduled to be? in that case, would the PDS would have been in a good position to win again?
Final one: who's leading the socialists now? how far left is he?

well, the PP is a christian democrat party, but it is a bit more economically conservative than your average christian democratic party. they are the junior colalition party, and would probably be those whom I'd vote for were I old enough. The PCP is an old style communist party. The BE is a radical left party, made of trostkytes, maoists, and others. it's incredibly popular among college students, particulary the wealthy ones.
If Barroso had stayed the full term, the elections were to be October 2006. they'd probaby be in a better position, since we'd be at a different point of the economical cycle, and the reforms wopuld've begun to take effect.
the current socialist leader is José Sócrates. he's centrist(or so he says). He's really like a pirate copy of tony Blair.

[minionofmidas]

The polls quoted up there call two parties "CDU" and "CDS". Which of them is the PP and which is the PCP?

[Bono]

The polls quoted up there call two parties "CDU" and "CDS". Which of them is the PP and which is the PCP?

CDU is a coalition of the PCP with the greens, who in reality are just an apendix of the PCP.
CDS is the old name of the PP. The official name is CDS/PP, just like the official name of PSD is PPD/PSd. normally, people call it just PSD, but the current leader likes to use PPD/PSD.

[Bono]

And today's the day.

[Jake]

And today's the day.

When do results come in? and is there a good site to watch for them?

[Bono]

And today's the day.

When do results come in? and is there a good site to watch for them?

I doubt there'd be anyone in English, but try www.cne.pr or www.sic.pt or www.legislativas.mj.pt/

the polls have closed in the mainland, but we need to wait until 8, when the polls close in the Azores, to get the first results.

[Bono]

 

[Jake]

Damn, a majority.  I feel bad for you Bono

[Bono]

Damn, a majority.  I feel bad for you Bono

Well, no point in being depressed. We have to get back on our feet anf prepare for the municipals in december and the presidentials in January.

[Umengus]

yeah!

[Math]

good new in portugal, bad new in Scleswig-Holstein...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

BBC says it's the first time the Socialists have ever won an absolute majority

[Bono]

BBC says it's the first time the Socialists have ever won an absolute majority

Yea, it is.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Wow, what exactly did the conservatives wrong that they suffered such a massive defeat?

[Frodo]

Portuguese socialists win power 
 
Portugal's opposition Socialist Party has won a convincing election victory, ousting the governing Social Democrats.
Near complete results gave the Socialists 118 seats, giving them an absolute majority in the 230-seat parliament for the first time.

Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes has only been in office for seven months, and this is his party's worst result.

Socialist leader and ex-Environment Minister Jose Socrates has pledged to kick-start the ailing economy.

Unemployment stands at 7% and Portugal is seeing EU subsidies and foreign investment diverted to eastern Europe.

'Memorable result'

The snap general election - called more than a year earlier than needed - will install Portugal's fourth government in three years.

The BBC's Alison Roberts in Lisbon says turnout seems to be well up on the last election in 2002, when it reached 62%.

As polls closed, a Socialist Party spokesman welcomed exit poll projections as indicating "an absolutely memorable result" and noted that turnout appeared to have risen by five percentage points to 67%.

This showed voters wanted not just to get rid of a bad government but to give their backing to the Socialist Party by handing it a clear majority, he said.

On the eve of the vote President Jorge Sampaio spoke of a "crisis" facing the country.

Mr Sampaio, a Socialist, said he had lost confidence in the centre-right coalition government.

In his address to the nation, President Sampaio recalled the concerns that prompted him to dissolve parliament in December.

He said the need for structural reforms to get the economy back on track meant a fresh mandate was required.

Mr Santana Lopes has been in office since July, when his predecessor, Jose Manuel Barroso, left to head the European Commission.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4281013.stm

 

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Why is the center-right party caleld "Social Democrats"? That seems weird.