At Lisbon’s Thalia Theater, the election night venue for Livre, Patrícia Gonçalves highlighted early projections that indicate voter abstention ranges between 36% and 42%.
The abstention rate in the 2024 legislative elections stood at 40.16%, marking the lowest figure since 2005, when it was 35.74%.
“What this suggests is that we are in short political cycles now, and people are tired, possibly leading to them not voting,” she stated.
Gonçalves expressed a belief that people are eager for a government that functions effectively and completes its legislative term.
Another concern raised by the third-ranked candidate in Lisbon is the voting difficulties faced by emigrants.
“We have received reports of diaspora voting where individuals faced challenges or were unable to vote, meaning those outside Portugal still cannot vote as easily as we do here, which is a concern,” she noted.
Television projections for abstention in today’s legislative elections suggest rates between 34.7% and 47.7%.
RTP forecasted an abstention rate of 36% to 42% at 19:00, SIC predicted a range of 34.7% to 39.7%, and CNN anticipated rates between 41.5% and 47.7%.
In the legislative elections held on March 10, 2024, Livre secured 199,888 votes (3.26%), resulting in the election of four deputies.
