CENTRE-LEFT PARTIES in Europe have had a rough time in recent years, but Portugal has been an exception. António Costa, the Socialist prime minister, has been in power since 2015, first leading a coalition including parties from the far left and later a minority government. Portugal’s economy, among the best-performing in Europe, is expected to finish this year with a reasonably solid 2% growth. In an election in 2022, Mr Costa defied expectations by winning an absolute majority for his party in parliament. Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrives prior to the start of a European Council meeting at the European headquarters in Brussels, on February 1, 2024. EU leaders are to gather in Brussels on February 1, 2024, for a meeting of the European Council, where they will discuss aid to Ukraine as the war nears its second anniversary. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)(AFP) But on November 7th his good fortune came to an abrupt end. He resigned following a police raid on his residence, part of an investigation into corruption scandals over …