In Britain we may have election fever but Europe is going to the polls too — with the far right predicted to do well across the continent in elections to the European Parliament from June 6-9.

With our sister papers Junge Welt of Germany and Arbejderen of Denmark, we compiled a series of articles looking at the nature of the far-right threat across different European countries, of which this is the fifth. We would like to thank Junge Welt for organising the series and translation.

Carmela Negrete: After eight years of a left-wing coalition in power, Luis Montenegro and his cabinet took office as Portugalʼs new centre-right government on April 2. However, Montenegroʼs camp fell well short of the required majority of 116 seats. Why were there early elections in the first place?

Catarina Soares Martins: The majority of the Partido Socialista (PS) ended up in a political impasse with no way out. This applied to healthcare, education, housing and inflation. There were various sectors with mounting protests and no way forward.

The scandals that are currently being investigated by the judiciary are real. We in the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda) had a clear view that the government would not last until the end of the legislature with its majority. This was confirmed, as we can see today. We would rather not have been correct about this.
 
What did the coalition government, which was supported by the Left Bloc and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), achieve?

We were able to restore salaries, pensions and public holidays that had been cut by the Troika. The same applies to the progress made regarding the welfare state: free school books, the end of payment for access to healthcare, the reduction of tuition fees and cheaper public transport. It was a time when people felt that their lives were improving.

In 2019, the PS had won the elections with a majority and we proposed a new pact. But the PS only wanted to negotiate with us on a case-by-case basis. The PCP accepted. We had some differences with each other, but in the end the PCP also realised that the PSʼs policies at the time were no different to those of the right wing.
 
In what social and political climate did all this happen?

It was the middle of the Covid pandemic, under maximum pressure. The PS had an absolute majority, but no plan for the country. So we find ourselves in a situation now with a traditional right-wing party in a minority government and the extreme right with 18 per cent — a result that would have been considered impossible a few years ago.
 
How do you explain the fact that people voted for the far-right Chega party, but also for the PS and PSD, even though they do not represent the interests of the majority?

If we do not offer the people more prospects, they will demand change. The right has emerged internationally as a quasi-natural force for this change. Portugal is a country living in a fallacy: the constitution says that we are on the road to socialism. The former ruling party, PS, describes itself as socialist.

But Portugal is the country with the least public housing in Europe, where the forests are all private. All strategic sectors of the economy have been privatised, including the postal service. The number of workers covered by collective bargaining is minimal. We live in a patriarchal and deeply racist society — this is what allows these right-wing forces to achieve such results.
 
You are running for the Left Bloc alliance in the EU elections on June 9 — what is the significance of these elections in particular?

They are very important regarding the country’s response to its economic problems. Although Portugal is far away from the war [in Ukraine], the Portuguese are feeling the inflation it has caused. If the European Central Bank raises interest rates and there is no democratic authority, this is the wrong policy and it must change.

We have to choose whether we want a Europe that feeds the corporations or one that provides answers for the people. Our lives are literally at stake in the climate crisis. And if we are not able to build an economy that responds to peopleʼs needs, there will be no future. Right now, this is the big fight and the EU elections are very important to change the priorities of politics. Too many banks have already been bailed out; now they are bailing out the German and French arms industry.
 
What part has the EU played in the Portuguese economy?

It has turned us into a service country for wealthy tourists. Our best-educated generations often only have a future abroad. They migrate to the centre and north of Europe for higher salaries, but often earn less there than people in these countries.
 
Tourism is also making rents unaffordable in Lisbon, for example.
Yes, it causes two problems: it depends on low wages at home and on people from abroad with higher incomes being able to spend this money here. The result is an impossible situation, wages down and rents up — a disaster.

This is another reason why it is necessary to be clear in the fight against the extreme right. An anti-fascist alliance without economic policies that improve peopleʼs lives will achieve nothing. Rather, the extreme right will continue to grow. Fighting capitalism is the only way to defeat the extreme right.
 
What is the condition of the poorer Portuguese?

The poorest citizens are currently those who come from outside Portugal. We have a population of agricultural workers from Nepal and Pakistan who live very poorly. They work long hours in conditions that are close to forced labour. Then we have those who were born in Portugal and have always lived here, who have salaries of around €800 a month but their rent is €800 a month — or more. Itʼs very easy to tell the poor that itʼs the fault of the miserable. Thatʼs what the extreme right does, and that leads to even more complicated situations. But Portugal already had a problem with racism before, especially in the security forces.
 
The left celebrated 50 years of the Carnation Revolution against the backdrop of a strengthening right wing. It is good to celebrate April 25, and people feel the need to do so. After the elections, all the auditoriums were full at every event, even in schools and villages. And demonstrations that would normally have been small had many participants.

People want to take to the streets and discuss things. It is necessary to celebrate this anniversary with great strength because we need to remember that the strength of democracy is not just voting every four years. It is the power of the people to change their destiny and achieve more justice in their lives.

Catarina Soares Martins is the lead candidate of the Left Bloc for the EU elections on June 9 and was its national co-ordinator from 2012 to 2023.
 
Translated from German to English by Marc Bebenroth.

You can read part 4 of this series on the European far right, on Denmark, here, part 3, on France, here, part 2 on Sweden here, and part 1, on Italy, here.