More than 333,000 registered voters in Portugal will be able to vote this Sunday in advance for the legislative elections on 18 May. This is a record number since mobile voting was implemented in Portugal, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Mobile voting allows voters to cast their ballot in advance and at the polling station that is most convenient for them, as long as they had marked the place where they wanted to vote when they registered.
In the last elections, in 2024, 208,000 voters voted in advance and abroad, including Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. In fact, the president is due to vote early again Sunday.
Around 10 million voters living in Portugal and abroad are registered to vote in these elections, which were brought forward after the fall of the centre-right minority government.
In March, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro had a motion of confidence rejected in parliament following a case involving himself and a company owned by his family, Spinumviva. The case raised doubts about whether public officials followed rules on conflicts of interest.
In light of the controversy, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dissolved the coalition government led by Montenegro.
At a time when the electoral campaign is about to enter its final week, 21 parties are running in these early elections, including coalitions.
According to a poll carried out for Euronews, Luís Montenegro’s AD (PSD/CDS) coalition is in the lead with 34.1 per cent of voting intentions. The Socialist Party, led by Pedro Nuno Santos, would have 27.1 per cent, and the far-right populist Chega party would maintain its position as the third most popular party with 15.2 per cent. The Liberal Initiative would have 8.3 per cent.
These numbers refer to a Consulmark2 poll for Nascer do SOL and Euronews, carried out between 14 and 22 April.
Additional sources • Lusa
