- Title: PORTUGAL: ELECTION PREVIEW
- Date: 15th March 2002
- Summary: (W1) LISBON, PORTUGAL (RECENT) (REUTERS) 1. SLV ELECTION CAMPAIGN BANNERS DISPLAYED IN LISBON'S CENTRAL MARQUES DE POMBAL SQUARE: PORTUGAL'S OPPOSITION SOCIAL DEMOCRAT (PSD) LEADER JOSE DURAO BARROSO SAYING CHANGE TO COMPETENCE AND SOCIALIST CANDIDATE EDUARDO FERRO RODRIGUES SAYING VOTE FOR GOVERNMENT WITH AN IRON (FERRO) HAND 0.05 2. SLV CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BENFICA STADIUM IN PROGRESS WITH OLD STADIUM STANDS AT BACK (2 SHOTS) 0.16 3. MV SOCCER LEGEND EUSEBIO WITH DURAO BARROSO DISPLAYING A JERSEY WITH THE BARROSO'S NAME ON THE BACK; MV EUSEBIO WITH DURAO BARROSO 0.22 (W1) OPORTO, PORTUGAL (RECENT - MARCH 7, 2002) (REUTERS) 4. SLV PORTO SOCCER FANS PROTESTING IN FRONT OF TOWN HALL AGAINST NEW PSD MAYORS DECISION TO RESTRICT PLANNING PERMISSION FOR A SHOPPING CENTRE ADJACENT TO NEW EURO2004 STADIUM; SCU PLACARD SAYING EURO 2004 ONLY IN LISBON, NO; SLV PORTO FANS DEMONSTRATING; SCU PLACARD SAYING THIS RIO (MAYORS NAME RIVER) IS A DRAIN. DURAO (PSD LEADER) DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO LEAD (4 SHOTS) 0.44 5. SCU MODEL OF THE NEW PORTO STADIUM 0.48 6. SLV HALTED CONSTRUCTION WORK FOR THE THE NEW STADIUM (2 SHOTS) 0.56 (W1) OPORTO, PORTUGAL (RECENT - MARCH 9, 2002) (REUTERS) 7. SLV DURAO BARROSO ELECTION BANNER 0.58 8. SV / MV /SLV/ MV DURAO CAMPAIGNING IN OPORTO SHOPPING STREETS AND IN CENTREPIECE BOLHAO MARKET; DURAO BARROSO SPEAKING IN FISHING VILLAGE OF AGUDA, NEAR OPORTO (6 SHOTS) 1.24 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PSD LEADER DURAO BARROSO SAYING "Yes, the campaign is going much better than I was expecting. It's impressive and important to support to our party is and I'm really expecting to have the majority next Sunday. I think there is a great disillusion with the current Socialist government and I'm going to explain to the country how necessary it is to have a majority so you can have stability." 1.48 10. SLV SOCIAL DEMOCRATS RALLY IN OPORTO SQUARE 1.51 11. MV FORMER PRIME MINISTER ANIBAL CAVACO SILVA ADDRESSING RALLY IN SUPPORT OF BARROSO 12. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FORMER PRIME MINISTER ANIBAL CAVACO SILVA SAYING "We can categorically affirm that if the country should fall into crisis, the only way ahead is poverty." 2.03 13. SLV CHEERING SUPPORTERS WAVE FLAGS; MV DURAO BARROSO AND CAVACO SILVA TOGETHER (2 SHOTS) 2.09 14. SLV PSD RALLIES 2.15 15. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PSD LEADER DURAO BARROSO, ADDRESSING SUPPORTERS, SAYING "What we are talking about is very serious, it's the future of the country and the country needs a majority, the country needs stability, the country needs confidence to kick-start the economy so that we can have a richer but also a fairer country in Portugal." 2.37 16. SLV PSD SUPPORTERS WAVING FLAGS; MV SOCIALIST ELECTION BANNER WITH FERRO RODRIGUES; MV RODRIGUES CAMPAIGNING IN OPORTO STREETS AND BOLHAO MARKET (6 SHOTS) 3.06 17. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PS LEADER FERRO RODRIGUES SAYING "The polls give the PSD a small lead but also show Socialist Party backing is growing sharply and more and more people are joining our campaign every day. The Portuguese realise that things have been better than they thought in the past six years and I am convinced the PS will win these elections." 3.33 18. SLV SOCIALIST RALLY IN FRONT OF OPORTO TOWN HALL IN ALIADOS OPORTOS MAIN AVENUE, THE SCENE OF A DEMONSTRATION BY OPORTO FANS AGAINST MAYOR THE DAY BEFORE 3.44 19. QUESTION: WHO WILL WIN THE ELECTIONS 20. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CARLOS CARETO, VOXPOPS, SAYING "The PSD, due to the poor state the country is in." 3.52 21. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) ARTHUR SILVA, VOXPOPS, SAYING: "I am very disappointed with the PS (Socialist Party) and the PSD. They are all the same." 3.57 22. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) ALVARO ALEXANDRE, VOXPOPS, SAYING "Even though the polls favour the PSD, I think it will be a fight to the finish." 4.02 23. SLV STREET SCENE 4.07 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 30th March 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LISBON, OPORTO, COIMBRA AND AGUDA, PORTUGAL
- Country: Portugal
- Reuters ID: LVACA6C3PJ5VDJOVAMBXZN80Q6J9
- Story Text: Soccer rather than economic or social policies has
grabbed headlines as Portugal kicked off the campaign for
elections on March 17, 2002.
Portugal goes to the polls in general elections on
Sunday (March 17) in a campaign overshadowed by a controversy
over plans to build key stadiums to host the 2004 European
Soccer championships.
According to the latest opinion poll, Portugal's
opposition Social Democrats (PSD) will likely win with 43
percent win ahead of the governing Socialist Party (PS), in
second place with 36 percent.
Lisbon's mayor Pedro Santan Lopes refused to provide 12.5
million euros to help soccer club Benefica built its new Luz
stadium in Lisbon.
Then, incoming Oporto mayor Rui Rio restricted planning
permission for a shopping centre next to Porto's new Antas
stadium, which led club chairman Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa to
suspend building work and fans to demonstrate and call for Rio
to resign.
Benfica club chairman Manuel Vilarinho endorsed PSD leader
Durao Barroso's campaign at a party rally.
The leaders of both major parties decided to hold rallies
the same day in Oporto and in the same shopping district but
avoided each other and the day went ahead without incident.
The Social Democrats rating falls below the 44 percent
polled by the Socialists when elections were last held in
October 1999, which won the government just half of the 230
seats in Parliament.
Social Democrat leader Jose Manuel Durao Barroso has
declined to talk of possible coalition partners throughout his
campaign, and repeated calls for a majority vote.
Socialist leader Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, said he was
confident of victory because several polls showed his party
was gaining on the PSD.
"More and more people are joining our campaign every day,"
Ferro Rodrigues said. "And I am convinced the PS will win
these elections."
Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio dissolved parliament
and called for elections in December, when Prime Minister
Antonio Guterres resigned after the Socialists suffered
humiliating losses in local elections.
Guterres had already reshuffled his cabinet several times
and threw in the towel as the Socialists' popularity ratings
sagged amid a slowing economy.
Although a row over staging the 2004 European soccer
championships has dominated the campaign since it officially
began on March 4, Portugal's economic performance is at the
forefront of party manifestos.
The PSD has promised to make Portugal's economy draw level
with the average of its European Union partners and cut back
on public spending. The Socialists have pledged to boost
Portugal's efficiency while limiting the gap between rich and
poor.
In a nation whose population of just 10 million sustains
three sports dailies, party leaders have taken time to mix
soccer with proposals to tackle Portugal's slowing economy.
PSD leader Durao Barroso was pictured at a rally rubbing
shoulders with retired soccer hero Eusebio.
Eusebio, immortalised for being the top scorer in the 1966
World Cup finals, was voted third best player in the 20th
century by FIFA, behind Pele and Maradona.
At the same rally, Manuel Vilarinho, the chairman of
Portugal's biggest club Benfica weighed in with support for
the Social Democrats, who lead opinion polls but cannot be
sure of winning an overall majority in the 230-member
parliament.
He said the PSD had helped Benfica in a row over plans to
rebuild the clubs centrepiece Luz stadium in time for the 2004
European soccer championship.
Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio also called for a
meeting of all the parties interested in the tournament after
a weekend warning by Porto club chairman Fernando Pinto da
Costa that building work was stopped at the Antas stadium.
Portugal has pledged to build or revamp 10 stadiums along
with parking and shopping centres as part of a $550-million
plan to host the soccer tournament.
Elections were called in December when Prime Minister
Antonio Guterres resigned after his Socialists suffered a
humiliating rout by the Social Democrats in local elections.
Campaigning has to end by law at midnight on March 15, to
allow voters a day of reflection before going to the polls on
March 17, 2002.
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