Thousands of people have taken to the streets in the
Portuguese capital city of Lisbon to protest against continuation of the
government’s austerity measures.
The Portuguese government’s decision to extend cuts in the 2015
budget has been met with protests in Lisbon where demonstrators said on
Tuesday the measures were unjustified.
The protesters said the move no longer meets the needs of the country
since Lisbon exited its 78-billion euro international bailout program
in May.
Meanwhile, officials have said Portugal has yet to recover from years of persistent recession.
After three years of economic crisis, Lisbon has now devised stricter
austerity measures, including cuts in state workers’ wages, pensions
and welfare benefits.
Public sector workers staged a strike in Lisbon on November 14, in
protest to the government’s plans for tougher austerity measures.
Battered by the global financial downturn, the Portuguese economy
fell into a recession, which compelled the country to negotiate with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) for a
bailout loan in 2011.
In return for the bailout, the Portuguese government had to impose a
number of austerity measures, including more public spending cuts and
tax rises, as required by the terms of the international bailout loan.
Source: Press TV, 25 November 2014
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