Opinion / Carlota Rebelo
Danger signs
The Portuguese presidency is a largely ceremonial role but one of its most important tasks is to uphold the constitution. So it should be welcome news that incumbent president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, one of the country’s top constitutionalists, was re-elected this weekend with more than 60 per cent of the vote. But perhaps more significant was the performance of populist right-wing candidate André Ventura (pictured), who came in third with 11.9 per cent. Ventura never expected to win; rather his candidacy was a trial run of sorts for regional elections in October. Ventura hopes to follow the path of far-right parties in Italy and France by earning seats on councils and in city halls, and building a base of support from there.
It’s worth remembering that Portugal was a dictatorship only 47 years ago. My generation, and that of 38-year-old Ventura himself, is privileged to be born in a democracy and just as the country was preparing for EU membership. But we are also born to parents and grandparents who lived through the brutal Estado Novo regime and know how important it is to keep that cautionary memory alive for future generations. My grandfather was a fierce opponent of the Salazar dictatorship. He was persecuted by police and eventually forced into exile of Madeira with my grandmother and their four children in tow. I was the first person in my family to be born on the island. Back then it was viewed as a piece of rock stranded in the middle of the Atlantic – and a good enough place to escape the glare of the authorities.
So my family know just how bad extremism can be; they’ve lived through it. I don’t want to do the same. Yet we should be under no illusions: the threat of it is very real today. Lessons about how to stop this movement from growing should be learned from other countries. And the media needs to play its part too.
