Thornless roses no match for Barroso

In Portugal, Público leads with the headline “Left-Wing Roses Withered.” In the home country of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, the socialist-left currently in office won only 26% of the vote, while the right-wing opposition, which is Barroso’s group, won 31%. The daily further deplores lukewarm support for the Left across Europe, insisting that “gains made by the Right are a loss for Europe.” Público blames a failure to emphasize Europe, “which was largely absent from campaign,” and the fact that “most voters stayed away from the polls.”