Departugal

Departugal is the Portuguese spinoff of the term Brexit, which originated in June of 2016 when the United Kingdom decided by popular vote to leave the European Union (EU). There are three main parties supporting Departugal: the Left Bloc, the Communists and the Greens. In contrast, the Socialist party is pro-EU.

Mainstream politicians and parties across the European Union tend to reject the idea of an EU split, instead embracing unity and cooperation. However, fringe parties exist in many EU countries, and Departugal is just one of many movements that push for departing from or dissolving the EU. Other countries have also adopted nicknames that represent the possibility of exiting the EU, including France (Frexit), Austria (Oustria), Italy (Italexit/Italeave) and the Czech Republic (Czech-out).

Many people who align with the Departugal movement reference the costs of EU membership: They believe that Portugal should spend its money to benefit Portuguese citizens and initiatives, not to bolster other EU countries. Currently, if one country in the EU goes bankrupt, other member countries help bail it out.

In Portugal, as in other countries in the European Union, mainstream politics defends EU membership. In 2015, Portugal elected a new president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a center-right politician who was elected in the hope of curbing Portugal's spending and meeting budgets. President Sousa, along with Prime Minister António Costa, plans to revamp the Portuguese government while remaining loyal to the EU and its budget restrictions. In a September 2017 speech, he threw his support behind EU leader Jean-Claude Juncker’s plans to deepen integration within the bloc, with measures such as the creation of a EU finance minister.

Portugal and the United Kingdom have a close alliance, and the Portuguese government voiced its opinion that the UK should remain in the EU, stating that the EU was stronger with the UK. The Brexit vote will likely give steam to the Departugal movement, but it is not expected to gain momentum. Even before the Brexit vote, Portuguese economy minister Manuel Caldeira Cabral stated that the vote would likely not influence Portugal to consider leaving the EU.

In fact, Portugal was the recipient of a Eurozone bailout in late 2011. It paid off: By late 2016, the country's budget deficit had fallen to 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the lowest since the early 1990s. This figure means that Portugal is out of danger of having EU sanctions imposed upon it, depriving the Departugal movement of a key argument.