After casting his vote at the Civic Center of Nogueiró in Braga, Rui Rocha urged citizens to turnout “in mass,” following the “excellent signal” given last Sunday through early voting.
“We indeed experienced some time of political turbulence, with two legislative terms that did not reach completion. Therefore, the choices that are made today, the credibility of the solutions found, the teams, and the programs are crucial,” he stated.
The leader of the Liberal Initiative party remarked on the significance of the decisions being made in today’s legislative elections.
“My appeal is for everyone to remember that we have four challenging years ahead in this legislative period. It makes sense for everyone to contribute through their choices for these upcoming four years,” he added.
Regarding the post-election scenario and a potential government coalition between the Social Democratic Alliance (AD) and the Liberal Initiative (IL), Rui Rocha chose not to comment.
“This is not a topic for now. Right now, we are voting and deciding the parliament, which will then have the options that the Portuguese choose. It is time to call for voting and encourage a conscious decision from the Portuguese. I urge all Portuguese to head to the polls and make their choices with conscience. From my end, I have complete confidence in the Portuguese people,” he further stated.
He emphasized that going to the polls “is always a tribute to that first moment of liberty that took place 50 years ago,” with the first free elections.
According to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, 10.8 million voters are eligible to vote in these elections.
A total of 230 deputies will be elected across 22 electoral districts, 18 of which are in mainland Portugal, with the rest in the Azores, Madeira, Europe, and outside Europe.
The electoral process will incur a cost of approximately 26.5 million euros.
In this election, 21 political parties are competing, three more than in the elections held last March.
