Reuters: Oddly Enough: 100,000 Portuguese sign petition to keep ex-PM Socrates off TV

Reuters: Oddly Enough Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

100,000 Portuguese sign petition to keep ex-PM Socrates off TV Mar 22nd 2013, 15:18 Tweet Share this Email Print Jose Socrates reacts during the general election in Lisbon June 5, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Hugo Correia LISBON | Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:18am EDT LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese state television channel RTP's plan to give former premier Jose Socrates a weekly commentary spot has sparked outrage, with 100,000 people signing a petition citing his "bad management" that led the country to take a bailout in 2011. "We, citizens and tax-payers, declare that we reject the presence of former Prime Minister Jose Socrates on any program at RTP, television paid for by public funds of taxpayers suffering from the bad management of this gentleman," the Internet petition said. Many comments said the plan was "shameful". A counter-petition in favor of Socrates' TV commentary, to start next month, and defending the democratic right to free expression, garnered around 5,300 signatures on Friday. That view was also backed by RTP director Paulo Ferreira who said he understood the controversy but "the pluralism of opinions in public media" was an important democratic principle. He would not reveal the details of the deal, but Diario de Noticias newspaper said Socrates would be working for free. By gathering more than 4,000 signatures, both petitions will have to be discussed by parliament. Socrates' Socialist government collapsed two years ago amid an escalating debt crisis, and one of his last decisions was to request a bailout from the European Union and IMF, forcing the country to implement tough austerity and structural reforms. Since then, Socrates has mostly lived in Paris, attending a university course. The big tax hikes and spending cuts applied by the present center-right government of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho as part of the bailout have pushed the country into its deepest recession since the 1970s and brought the new administration's popularity down towards record lows. Although the main opposition Socialists are ahead in opinion polls, many Portuguese still associate them with the bailout and the party has largely failed to capitalize on the disappointment with the new administration. Opinion polls show the Socialists would not be able to form a majority government. (Reporting By Andrei Khalip; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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