The President of the Republic oversaw the swearing in of Pedro Passos Coelho and his ministers and secretaries of state which now form Portugal's 20th government.
Both the president and prime minister sent messages to the left wing parties with Passos Coelho warning of the danger of any sharp deviations in Portuguese politics.
During the ceremony at the Ajuda Palace in Lisbon, the president said that he had no choice but to choose the right wing coalition as it was “stable, consistent and credible.”
Cavaco Silva recalled that the 2009 election resulted in the socialist José Sócrates’ minority government and for 40 years Portugal has been run by the party that won the elections, even when the winning party did not have a majority of MPs in parliament.
"No one trusts an ungovernable country," said Cavaco Silva in a clear message to the left wing which is preparing to reject the government's programme and force a ‘no confidence’ vote which will trigger the end of the Passos Coelho premiership.
Passos Coelho’s view of his achievements after four year at Portugal’s helm certainly is rosy with growth, exports, investment and jobs all going rather well.
The new PM then warned of the evils of socialism and the dark arts of lefty politics, "In a context where uncertainty has such a high cost, where trust can be destroyed and where competitiveness easily evaporates, deviations could ruin everything. And the Portuguese once again would be the most vulnerable especially the middle class which will pay the price as in the past. I, as prime minister, will not allow that to happen again.”
Going back to his spotless economic record, Passos Coelho added that , "Portugal has become an attractive country for foreign investment.
"We turned around the chronic deficit in our external accounts and we now have persistent surpluses every year and have increased our exports to levels never before recorded. In spite of the difficulties and financial constraints, we also managed to achieve important results in the social sphere."
Passos Coelho was not expected to dwell on his failures on such an auspicious day but the vote of ‘no confidence’ in his leadership soon will test whether enough MPs believe his claims that everything is on track.
The vote of 'no confidence' is scheduled for November 10th which sets up the coalition for a term of office which could get the prize for brevity, currently held by the provisional government of one month led by Vasco Gonçalves in 1975.
The record for a fully constitutional government was that of Nobre da Costa in 1978 which lasted just three months.
Portugal had six provisional governments between 1974 and 1976 as the new democracy struggled to find its balance.
The first was appointed just after the April 25th revolution with Adelino da Palma Carlos as prime minister, followed two months later by the provisional government of Vasco Gonçalves.
The following three governments also were led by Vasco Gonçalves between September 1974 and 1975. His provisional government between August 8 and September 19, 1975 holds the record which may be beaten in eleven days time when the Passos Coelho government is replaced by a new left wing alliance.
Comments
There cannot be racism in Portugal as there is only Portuguese and foreigners. Foreigners do not have defined races and therefore a Portuguese cannot be racist to a foreigner.
Any half wit can see that that is the reason for the Portuguese State's idiotic claim to be 'race blind'. It also means no administrative records or statistics need be kept on which specific races - like the British - have suffered the most in Portugal. So now everyone else knows.
Portugal has the serious problem with the UK and can point to its school history books for proof. So has failed any British attempting to make good here - yet tens of thousands of Portuguese do very well making good in the UK.
The UK school history books having no record of any dispute with Portugal so help the Portuguese forward in the UK. It is vital that Portuguese angst over being Ultimatumed and then singing a national anthem for decades about "Attacking the British" is more widely known about in the UK. Known before setting off for this country.
Just reading the comments following Gordon's makes the residual neurosis and pain of the Portuguese, so clear. How anyone can warp the obvious Portuguese prejudice against the British so failing or over-charging them at every step of their time here before they leave into the British being apparently racist in pointing this out as a warning to their fellow countrymen is beyond me!
The Portuguese endlessly discuss being racially prejudiced against in Angola - but are 'racially blind' to doing it here against the British.
But what ARE you saying/supporting?
Are you really blaming the Portuguese (& if so, should you really not be a tad more specific- at the very least recognising that there are politicos, making decisions without ANY reference to the people) as well as the people?
Be a tad more specific, please. I might even agree with you.
Don't worry mate. Trust in Portugal has already evaporated in northern Europe! It had been mistakenly assumed to have been a 'good little soldier' in the EU. Total nonsense as we now know.
In the Brexit discussions it will be constantly thrown up - Why the hell did the Portuguese specialists in the UK Foreign Office not flag up 30 years ago that a very disturbed country full of 'secret anti-British' had just joined ?
So secret their hatred that it warps everything they say and do in stopping any Brits trying to 'effectively occupy' their acre or so of Portugal. To be economically effective as the Good Book of Brussels tells us to do and what thousands of Portuguese in the UK have been doing for years.
We need more and more stories of Brits back in the UK, faced with a choice of a Polish, German, French, Portuguese, builder, plumber or dentist - whatever saying - "I immediately sent the Portuguese away. Told him to 'eff off. After what his people have done to ours in Portugal - no way would I do business with him"