Pedro Santana Lopes, the prime minister of Portugal between 2004 and 2005, is to bid for the leadership of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) this weekend.
This is the position soon to be vacated by another former prime minister, Pedro Passos Coelho who finally has got the message that he no longer is wanted and is stepping down.
Santana Lopes announced his intention to stand in the January 13th party leadership election when party members get to vote on their choice - with many hoping for some new blood, rather than a figure from the party's troubled past (think: Gordon Brown launching a bid to lead the UK's Labour Party).
Lopes has been biding his time by running the state-owned Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa but many recall the observation by a minister in his government that he “lacked loyalty and truth."
The prime ministership of Santana Lopes was made difficult by a number of inherited economic and political problems, none of which he was able to tackle or turn to his advantage.
When his PSD party first took power, the country’s economy was in a poor state, with a rising government-spending deficit, partially because of policies focused on public expenditure by the previous governments (led by António Guterres of the Socialist Party) and the early 2000s recession.
The situation inherited by Santana Lopes was poor but the previous government, led by Barroso, had been able to comply with European Union directives regarding the deficit by selling off State assets.
Santana Lopes failed to gain a reputation as anywhere near competent. His rise to power as Barroso's successor, rather than having been elected, contributed to this malaise, as did the fact that he was not an MP but the mayor of Lisbon.
Santana Lopes' period in office was also marked by chaos in the allocation of teachers to schools more than a month after classes were meant o have started.
He also was not averse to putting pressure on the press including the replacement of the information director of RTP, and pressing TVI to tone down criticism of him by political commentator, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa who now is President of the Republic.
The government of Santana Lopes was scuppered on 30 November 2004 when the then President of the Republic, Jorge Sampaio, announced that he was calling an early election for February 2005 after Henrique Chaves resigned after four days as Minister for Sport, claiming that Santana Lopes lacked "loyalty and truth" - a phrase that has stuck.
Santana Lopes announced the resignation of the government on 11 December so that his Government would assume a caretaker role until the election. He was defeated in the 2005 elections which was won by José Sócrates.
Santana Lopes left the party leadership two days later. He returned to Parliament to lead the PSD Parliamentary Group between 2007 and 2008 but has been quiet ever since, until now.
Back in the day - Pedro Santana Lopes in 2004
Comments
He is not alone here. I have never understood the Portuguese reason for the shifting of teachers from school to school at the beginning of the school year. There is never a start to a school year without disruption, and the start of the 2017 school year is as bad a start as any.
Like blaming the current government for the continuing government failures which have led to the present disastrous fires, to single out Santana Lopes for this systemic failure seems a bit rich.
He lacks Loyalty and Trust, He should there fore fit right in.. Same old faces when what is needed is real change..