Portugal predicted to vote pro-austerity coalition back in

Portugal could make history by becoming the first eurozone bailout country to re-elect a government that imposed harsh and unpopular austerity measures when it votes this weekend.

But despite the beginnings of a fragile economic recovery, Portugal remains heavily in debt and vulnerable. Unemployment is still painfully high at 12%, rising to 30% among young people. Living standards have fallen sharply in what is still western Europe’s poorest nation. One in five people continue to live below the poverty line with an income of less than €5,000 (£3,684) per year. Health and education services have been affected by cuts.

Emigration has also become a major campaign issue. A total of 485,000 people left Portugal between 2011 and 2014, the highest emigration rate in over 50 years in a country whose total population stands at around 10 million. The recent exodus has surpassed the wave of Portuguese emigration in the 1960s that saw an unskilled labour force leave. This time, there has been a mass exodus of qualified youth, including scientists, doctors and nurses.