The Algarve’s socialist candidates in full ‘vote for me’ mode finally have latched on to the fact that the tolls on the Algarve’s Via do Infante could be just the sort of election issue that, if they get it right, will attract those voters who want an end to the charges.
The local socialist party hopefulls today promised an ‘immediate 50% reduction in tolls on the Via do Infante.’
Well, they pledged to ‘move forward with an immediate 50% reduction’ anyway and to work on the ‘progressive abolition of tolls.’
‘The immediate and progressive reduction and final elimination of tolls on the Via do Infante requires more than ever a majority of MPs and voters for the Socialist Party on election day on October 4,’ said José Apolinario at a presentation of ‘socialist party regional commitments to Parliament.’
The party leader António Costa knows that cancelling tolls in the Algarve would cost the treasury a ruinous amount of money.
The importance of the issue of tolls on the Via do Infante "now has two alternative paths," said the Algarve’s socialist leader: immediately reduce the tolls by 50%” as party leader Costa has hinted at in his convoluted statement yesterday, "or to believe again in the rehashed, vague promises presented by Passos Coelho despite the government doing nothing about toll fees in four and a half years."
The socialist MPs in the Algarve promise to undertake as their first political initiative in the new Parliament to ‘present a draft resolution for the immediate reduction of tolls,’ and while they are at it, to complain at the slow progress of the EN125 roadworks.
‘Presenting a draft resolution’ is not really the same as ‘reducing toll fees by 50%’ but the socialists simply hope that people hear the words ‘tolls’ reduction, cancel,’ rather than ‘ruinous,’ ‘unlikely ever to happen’ and ‘PPP funding.’
This sort of pre-election political blather should fool no one as the socialists have failed during the life of this parliament to take a position on the Via do Infante tolls, until a couple of weeks before the general election of course, and even them their promises are only to ‘look closely at the matter and suggest to parliament a reduction in toll fees.’
With a predicted record low for voter numbers this election the mood on the street is ‘why bother, they are all the same.’
Smaller livelier parties such as the Left Bloc led by Cataina Martins have the luxury of talking straight and stating policies without the remotest chance of ever having to carry them out.
The socialists, with an evens chance of being voted into power according to the latest polls, may end up running the country so are treading a delicate path between making promises to do voter friendly things and having to account for them later.
The Via do Infante battle is one that cannot be won. Tolls cannot simply be cancelled as the 20+ year concession period will have to be paid for and hundreds of millions of euros in compensation handed over to the concession holder.
This is why the issue is being fudged pre-election with Passso Coelho promising he will reduce tolls of he is voted back in. He will not cancel the tolls as it would be ruinous to do so despite the adverse impact on the local economy.
The best that can be achieved is a reduction but even this is unlikely under either party.
