While attention remains focused on Ukraine’s political crisis, another one is forming on the other side of Europe in Portugal. A crisis of a somewhat lesser magnitude, admittedly, but it seems likely that President Sampaio is about to dissolve the Portuguese parliament and call fresh elections, making the Pedro Santana Lopes face a vote after just four months in office.

The President has to meet with leaders of the parties in parliament and the Council of State before officially being able to dissolve Parliament, but given that Sampaio believes Santana Lopes ‘lacked the indispensable conditions to continue to mobilise Portugal and the Portuguese in a coherent, rigorous and stable fashion‘ I suspect his mind may be made up, unless the governing parties decide to replace Santana Lopes with a new Prime Minister.

If elections are called, they’re not likely to happen until February, but they could lead to Socrates leading a European country – the Socialist Party, currently in opposition, is ahead in the polls and led by Jose Socrates.