Portugal’s government on the verge of collapse

I know 2010 can be hard to recall at this point, but remember when it was the financial crisis that was taking out governments left and right? That’s actually still happening: Debt-stressed Portugal’s Parliament has refused to endorse more austerity measures aimed at avoiding a bailout – a move that is likely to trigger the ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

I know 2010 can be hard to recall at this point, but remember when it was the financial crisis that was taking out governments left and right? That's actually still happening:

I know 2010 can be hard to recall at this point, but remember when it was the financial crisis that was taking out governments left and right? That’s actually still happening:

Debt-stressed Portugal’s Parliament has refused to endorse more austerity measures aimed at avoiding a bailout – a move that is likely to trigger the minority government’s resignation.

All opposition parties rejected the government’s latest proposal for spending cuts and tax hikes in a vote Wednesday.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates previously said he would no longer be able to run the country if the plan was defeated.

The two big trends here are actually not unrelated. The Libyan crisis has, once again, opened up a political rift in the EU at a moment when coordinated action is needed on economic policy. Add to that an apparent "major" cyberattack on the eve of this week’s EU summit, and this really hasn’t been Brussels’ finest month. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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