The abstention rate in municipal elections has been above 40% since 2009, with the second-highest percentage recorded four years ago at 46.35%, slightly below the record high of 47.4% in 2013.
Voter turnout for today’s municipal elections stood at 43.42% by 4:00 PM, higher than the same time four years ago, according to data from the Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
Based on figures released by the Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration (SGMAI), over four million people had cast their votes by 4:00 PM.
Compared to the last municipal elections held on September 26, 2021, voter turnout has increased slightly; four years ago, by the same time, 42.34% of voters had participated.
Data released by the SGMAI at midday indicated that voter turnout in the municipal elections was at 21.72%, a higher figure than at the same time in the 2021 elections.
The polls opened at 8:00 AM and will remain open until 7:00 PM. In the Azores, polling stations open and close 60 minutes later than those on the mainland and Madeira, due to the one-hour time difference.
More than 9.3 million voters are eligible to participate in these municipal elections, according to registration data provided by the Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
Of the 9,303,840 registered voters, 9,262,722 are nationals, while the remaining 18,319 are European Union (EU) foreign nationals and 22,799 are non-EU foreign nationals, all registered within the national territory.
Voters will choose the governing bodies of 308 Municipal Chambers, 308 Municipal Assemblies, and 3,221 Parish Assemblies, therefore there are three ballots.
In total, 1,584 lists of parties, coalitions, and citizen groups are candidates for the Municipal Chambers, 1,519 for the Municipal Assemblies, and 9,764 lists for Parish Assemblies, according to the most recent lists updated by the SGMAI.
[News updated at 6:31 PM]
