Lessons from Portugal: How to Preserve Democratic Institutions
Photo Courtesy: CP - Comboios de Portugal
After belonging to a group of Southern EU countries known as ‘pigs’ to northern Europeans, after having been seen as fiscally irresponsible, and after having been thought of as a risk to the eurozone: you may be surprised to hear me say many should learn from Portugal. The coastal European state has surprised many over the years. Portugal has shown strong fiscal responsibility with a firm reduction in government debt (unlike others in the west), has been a cooperative member in the EU Council (yes, that is possible Hungary), and has seen a rapid post-pandemic recovery with a 6.7% GDP growth rate in 2022 (hear that Germany?). Yet, this lesson relates to a different aspect of politics. On Tuesday, Portugal might have taught western leaders a valuable lesson in the preservation of democratic institutions.
For the first time since the pandemic, Portugal has reached the headlines of anglophone media. Investigators launched an inquiry, and searches, into the actions of Prime-Minister António Costa and several members of his office and government. Dozens of locations have been searched, including the PM’s official residence on Tuesday, as authorities suspect acts of corruption related to contracts for lithium mines, hydrogen production sites and data centers. Plunging the country into a political crisis, to an extent not seen since 2005, ‘uncertainty’ now dictates the lives of those in Portugal.
“Obviously, I submitted my resignation”. These were the words of our Prime-Minister just hours after all the news broke out. Here is where a lesson can be learnt. Stating that the functions of a prime-minister are not compatible with the suspicion of a criminal act, PM António Costa reaffirmed that the institutions of the republic could not be placed in peril over the career of one man. Found guilty or not, the head of the national government must be someone the population can trust.
As counterintuitive as it seems to learn lessons from a politician subjected to an investigation over potential corrupt practices, the bar seems low enough across today’s democracies. The clearest example of how this lesson is relevant comes from the United Kingdom: it took Boris Johnson 3 months to resign after being the first PM to be fined for breaking the law in office.
Scandals, corruption and fines over parties all impact the health of our democracy. Trust in democratic institutions relies on politician’s convictions to lead their countries, or their respective ministries, in an ethical manner. The consequences can be devastating: a lack of faith in the relevance of politics and the government in an individual’s life, rampant abstention rates and rising public discontent. Democracy’s fragile pillars risk crumbling under such pressures.
This opinion piece does not aim to justify the government’s potential corrupt practices. This new wave of investigations and inquiries in Portugal has once again raised the question of corruption in Portugal. Scandals have unfortunately become common in the last two years of António Costa’s government. The use of political power for personal gain is a despicable reality that has instilled itself within the government given Costa’s previous reluctance to address it. Our recently obtained democracy is facing a treacherous path with no certain outcome. The odds are bleak. However, in a reality where politicians across western democracies seem to have trouble taking their responsibilities at hand, and remembering their duties to their nations, actions like these are worth noting.
Democratic institutions are upheld by trust. An individual being investigated for acts of corruption, or other crimes, risks placing long-term strain on the relation of trust that exists between leaders and citizens. Our democratic institutions are too valuable to jeopardize. The lesson is simple: place democracy first.