The author noted that Pedro Passos Coelho would give an interview to Maria João Avillez on SIC Notícias, between 9 PM and 10 PM, and argued that his governance should be reassessed in light of the financial conditions he encountered. According to the author, Portugal had already requested external assistance when Passos Coelho arrived at the Government in 2011, and the adjustment program of 78 billion euros had been negotiated before he took office. He maintained that during the legislature, exports rose from about one-third of GDP to nearly 40% in 2015, including tourism, and that the tourism sector gained strategic momentum. Regarding privatizations, he acknowledged that some operations were questionable and warranted scrutiny but argued that they allowed the collection of billions of euros, the amortization of public debt, and reduce financing needs and interest burdens. He also considered that cuts in the public sector were painful but questioned what the alternatives would have been when the State could no longer finance itself normally. The author further highlighted that Portugal completed the financial assistance program in 2014 and returned to market financing without a precautionary program, recovering, in his view, decision-making leeway. He stated that Passos Coelho was the most relevant politician of the century in Portugal for having made unpopular decisions and contributed to an economic change whose effects surpassed his Government. #Portugal #Política #Economia (translated)
