Portugal: revealing campaign after deadly storm
Storm Kristin has caused fatalities and severe damage to buildings and infrastructure in Portugal, and more storms are forecast. Disaster management has become the dominant issue in the presidential election campaign, with the run-off election between the socialist candidate Antonio José Seguro and the right-wing populist André Ventura due to take place on Sunday.
A bizarre spectacle
The storm has completely taken over the election campaign, Observador notes:
“A hurricane has swept through politics. After the right-wing candidates neutralised each other with unusual success in the first round, Ventura and Seguro are now conducting the strangest election campaign we have ever seen for meteorological and political reasons: they ignore each other as if they were candidates in different countries. They talk about the weather, criticise the government and try at all costs to avoid missteps. The wind that has blown roofs off has pulled the ground from under Seguro and Ventura's feet.”
Ventura seeking votes among the ruins
Jornal de Notícias compares the actions of the two candidates:
“Seguro visited the disaster areas on the very first evening, without an entourage or journalists. Ventura decided that a disaster was the ideal setting for his media circus, including selfies amid the rubble, fiery speeches and a few pallets of bottled water. He moved his election campaign to the heart of the disaster and tried to cultivate the image of a man of the hour. In reality, he's a predator who smells the sweet scent of votes. ... If anyone still has any doubts, let them be dispelled: it is the leader of Chega whose demagoguery puts him on the wrong side of history.”
Seguro comes through
Público says the socialist candidate is proving that he can be trusted to manage the country even in difficult times:
“Seguro ordered the music at rallies to be turned off, celebrations to be scaled back, and made concrete proposals to support the population, which is calling the government to account and currently stands in stark contrast to an apathetic and 'learning' executive. He criticised the government for its handling of the crisis, and made this even clearer on Saturday saying: 'The solidarity of the Portuguese people cannot replace the responsibility of the state.' ...This 'campaign' which no one wanted reveals far more about what any future leader will be like than any rousing speech to euphoric supporters.”