Latest news and stories about abstention in Portugal for expats and residents.
With a week to go until the elections and on a day of early voting, António José Seguro renews his attacks on Ventura and once more sets the bar higher than he needs to win. Abstention is a concern.
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), precariousness and a fear of making mistakes explain youth abstention better than apathy. A lack of credibility in politics pushes them away from the democratic centre and drives them towards populism.
At the start of the second round of the presidential election, António José Seguro, the clear winner in the first round, urges voters not to demobilise but admits that abstention is one of his concerns as the Portuguese return to the polls on 8 February.
The count of votes from outstanding consulates closed on Monday and confirmed André Ventura's victory abroad, as well as a drop in abstention compared with the 2021 presidential election.
The game is clear. If they remain sitting on the fence, the flagship voices at 'Observador' encourage abstention with a single objective: to reduce Seguro's legitimacy. It's a slow-motion betrayal. If they step forward and admit they will vote for Ventura, they betray everything they've always stood for. It's a fast-forward betrayal.
The municipality with the highest abstention is Ribeira Grande, on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, where 64.5% of eligible voters chose not to vote.
On arriving at the hotel where he will follow election night, Luís Marques Mendes said he had noticed during the day that abstention would be lower than in previous elections.
Projections of abstention in this Sunday’s presidential election range from 35.6% to 43%, compared with an abstention rate of 60.76% in the 2021 elections. The official abstention rate can only be established after the vote count, once the polls have closed. The Católica poll for RTP indicates ...
Presidential candidate Manuel João Vieira has already cast his vote but did not want to reveal who he voted for. However, he laments the excessively high abstention that has existed in the country “over the last 20 years”.
EB/JI Professor António dos Santos Botelho School is hosting three polling stations for the São Miguel parish, with 2,675 registered voters.
The liberal presidential candidate, João Cotrim de Figueiredo, voted in Lisbon accompanied by his family. Speaking to journalists, he said he is confident he will secure a good result to advance to the second round and appealed to the Portuguese to go to the polls so they 'do not let others choose for them'.
