Major parties confident heading into tight election // Lisbon’s 25 de Abril bridge reverts to dictator’s name on Google Maps
Portuguese news in English on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Major parties confident heading into tight election
The final week of campaigning has kicked off with both major parties claiming to be confident of victory in Sunday’s legislative elections, Lusa reports. Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Luís Montenegro said change was on the way for the country while Socialist Party (PS) leader Pedro Nuno Santos called for left-wing voters to support his party as the only way to stop the right returning to power.
Activist hits politician with paint
Montenegro, who is also the leader of the Democratic Alliance coalition, has made an official complaint against the young man who threw green paint on him at a campaign appearance, Público reports. The thrower was arrested and another four involved in the environmental protest were also stopped. Montenegro reacted relatively calmly, saying he had respect for people who protested in defence of their causes but would have preferred to speak with the man. All of the parties and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa condemned the incident.
First evidence of foreign election interference
Researchers have for the first time found evidence of foreign interference in Portuguese elections, Lusa’s Combate às fake news site reports. MediaLab found two specific examples – one attacking PS and the other targeting PSD – one of which was traced to a company based in the US fiscal paradise of Delaware. It’s also associated with disinformation regarding elections this year in Singapore, Romania and Panama. The Portuguese researchers said the goal of this approach was mostly to create doubt rather than make people believe in a specific thing.
Almost one in five still undecided
The polls are coming thick and fast in the countdown to the election, all with varying degrees of good and bad news for the major parties. But this one, carried out by ICS/ISCTE and reported by Expresso, is particularly interesting. The percentage of undecided voters has actually risen to 18 per cent, the highest since the political crisis began. That’s more than third-placed Chega and not too far behind the major parties, setting this election up to potentially be quite unpredictable.
Portuguese spend €8.6m a day on scratch cards and other gambling
Portuguese people spent €8.6 million a day on scratch cards and other gambling run by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa last year, Público reports. The vast majority (€1.84 billion) of the charitable organisation's €3.14 billion in takings, up €72 million from last year but still yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, were from the instant-scratch “raspadinhas” sold in newsagents. That was followed by €472 million in sports betting house Placard, then the Euromillions and various other lotteries. The money is distributed to various beneficiaries, including government ministries and the regional governments of Madeira and the Azores. SCML has watched with concern as the online gambling market grows steadily.
Lisbon’s 25 de Abril bridge reverts to dictator’s name on Google Maps
Google Maps ended up seriously out of date in Lisbon last week, almost 50 years out of date to be precise. For a few days, Ponte 25 de Abril, named in honour of the Carnation revolution of 1974, was showing up on the popular app as Ponte Salazar, Público reports. That was the bridge’s original name when it was opened in 1966 in honour of António Salazar, whose Estado Novo dictatorship was overthrown in 1974. It’s actually very easy to request to name a new location on Google Maps or update an existing one but it’s not supposed to be easy to change something as famous as the bridge.
In this case, it seems there must have been multiple requests for the change, making it more likely for the search giant to accept them. Google admitted occasionally errors or incorrect edits arise but insisted its qualified operators and automatic systems were constantly monitoring for issues. It’s not clear exactly who made the requests but several people shared screenshots on X, formerly Twitter, thanking them for their contribution and the change came the day after a far-right candidate mentioned the old name of the bridge in a debate.
In brief
'Football Leaks' hacker Rui Pinto to go on trial for 242 crimes, granted amnesty for 134. The new process comes after he was sentenced to a four-year suspended sentence in September last year. (Lusa)
Supreme Court confirms former Banco Espirito Santo president Ricardo Salgado's sentence. The eight-year sentence was maintained but can be suspended if it is proven his Alzheimer’s disease is bad enough it would stop him understanding the punishment. (Expresso)
Pope sacks fugitive priest from priesthood. It’s 31 years since Frederico Cunha was convicted of killing a 15-year-old boy in Madeira and 26 since he fled to Brazil. He was never subject to a process in the Catholic church and only technically stopped being a priest last month, after the Vatican was alerted to the matter in September. (Público)
More than half of all foreign investment in Portugal is in Greater Lisbon. Just shy of €100 billion in foreign direct investment stock is in the region, about 55% of the national total. (Público)
On a lighter note
Portugal finally has its own dedicated Michelin guide, instead of being grouped in with Spain, Diário de Notícias reports. The historic presentation crowned a new two-star restaurant — Antiqvvm in Porto — and four new one-star restaurants — 2 Monkeys in Lisbon, Desarma in Funchal, O Balcão in Santarém and Sála de João Sá in Lisbon. But there was significant disappointment among chefs at the event when it was revealed the country would go at least one more year without a three-star restaurant. Also notable, of the 31 restaurants with stars, none is led by a woman. Marlene Vieira, who was widely favoured to get a star for her eponymous restaurant in Lisbon, didn’t hide her disappointment that “it seems the women aren’t good enough” still in the eyes of the guide’s inspectors.