Indian-origin Goan Antonio Costa is Portugal’s new Prime Minister

In yet another success story for People of Indian Origin, Antonio Costa, who traces his roots to the Indian coastal state of Goa, and the leader of Portugal’s Socialist Party, was named Prime Minister of Portugal. He was tasked with forming a government on November 25, after weeks of political instability caused by an inconclusive election last month.

Costa is the son of Orlando Costa, an accomplished poet and writer. Mr Costa’s grandfather Luis Afonso Maria da Costa hailed from Goa, known for its picturesque beaches frequented by foreigners. His appointment comes after Costa’s anti-austerity alliance with Greens and the Left bloc toppled the 11-day-old conservative minority government in a dramatic parliamentary vote earlier this month. The political difficulties of Portugal are being closely monitored in Brussels. Mr Costa has sought to allay fears that his anti-austerity drive could propel the country back to deficit-busting policies that forced it into a three-year USD 83 billion bailout in 2011.

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