António Costa: The new "Hugo Chaves" of Europe declares the state will take over a 51% stake of TAP, "with or without the new owners' agreement"

TAP Portugal, the national airline

Hard-headed, arrogant, unelected PM of Portugal, 

António Costa, the new "Hugo Chaves" of Europe

During the election campaign, 

António Costa vowed that whether he lost or won the elections, 

HE WOULD TAKE THE POWER AND RULE PORTUGAL!

He lost the 4th of October´s general elections with only 32% of the people´s vote.

The coalition PSD/CDS WON THE ELECTIONS 

with more than 38% of the popular vote.

António Costa, imposed his arrogance and will 

and forged a parliamentary majority, 

of radical and extremists parties, 

such as the communists and the radical BE.

Within 11 days after the President of the Republic has

 imposed the PSD/CDS government, led by Pedro Passos Coelho, 

the radical left-wing socialist-marxist-leninist parties, 

agreed to unite, to overthrow the legitimately elected government.

Since then the most incredible events have taken hold of the country.

Huge international companies are abandoning Portugal in droves.

And the cherry on the top is Mr. Costa´s press conference in Brussels, 

about the selling of TAP, the national airline.

TAP has a debt of € 646 million, 

the state can not inject any more capital, 
the company is chronically in deficit. 

The fact that it was eventually sold, is almost a miracle, 

since the plans for selling TAP had been timidly or even covertly discussed 

ever since the days of António Guterres´socialist governance. 

As for the liabilities, the state declares itself as guarantor of the debt, 

in case the majority shareholder, does not meet the payments of the debt, 

which is bad for the taxpayers which could have been avoided, 
if this white elephant (which TAP in reality is), 

had been dispatched earlier.

Basically the state had to get rid of a red-hot potato 

because within years (or less than a year?) 

there would NOT have been any money left, even for paying salaries, 

let alone money for aircraft maintainance. 

The only alternatively, would have been bankruptcy, 

like many other BIG State Companies such as Quimigal, Lisnave 

and other glories of nationalization, 

after so many millions of taxpayers´money had been buried in them, 

they still failed miserably. 

with the trade unions and communist pouting and saying 

"it was a dream,comrades, but tomorrow we will still be singing." 

One day, after the first formal contact with the new owners of TAP, 

the GATEWAY consortium, 

the prime minister, stretched the rope and marked red lines: 

António Costa threatensed that most of the airline's capital, 

will be returned back into the State domain, 

WITH OR WITHOUT THE NEW OWNERS´AGREEMENT.

In Brussels, António Costa, 

said that the State will resume a majority stake in TAP airline, 

especially if the negotiations with the new owners, 
weren´t favourable to the State´s intentions.

In a press conference,

 Antonio Costa says that negotions with the new owners has continued 

and he expected to reach an agreement,

 but that if it does not happen, 

"the State will take over a 51% stake of the company." 

"I'm sure it will be done by agreement and that regardless of statements, 

the end result will be to the satisfaction of all parties," he said.

But he added in a direct message to the new owners: 

"The implementation of the Socialist Government´s program 

does not depend on the will of individuals,

 who decided to sign a contract with the Portuguese State 

in a precarious situation. 

Since the contract was signed with a government 

that had been overthrown the day before".

Only António Costa forgot to say, that at that stage, 

Pedro Passo Coelho was still the legitimate, elected Prime Minister, 

and he, António Costa was NOT even an option for the President.

David Neeleman told reporters that the consortium 

"will fulfill the contract" signed 

and that this agreement already has "many restrictions". 

"We signed the contract with many restrictions, 

we are doing what we have to do, to make money, for TAP to be saved. 

We signed an agreement that we could not take a profit of even one cent 

until the debt is paid. 

We are investing a lot to save the company, "he said.