“I would like to appeal to all Portuguese men and women to vote and choose their local representatives because it is with the elected representatives of the Parish Assemblies, Municipal Assemblies, and Municipal Councils that we can contribute to developing our country,” said José Luís Carneiro to journalists after casting his vote at Escola Alexandre Herculano in Porto.
According to the PS leader, “the choices for local authorities are among the most important” because “many problems that trouble citizens’ lives are solved,” considering it “the great moment of democratic life” and “a celebration of democracy.”
“It is decisive for the country’s future because, as the President of the Republic said, there are many issues at stake today, namely how European funds will be executed,” he stated.
When asked whether the election campaign over the last two weeks contributed to combating abstention, Carneiro noted that “PS returned, regardless of the final results.”
“Those who accompanied me on this election campaign know that many people reconnected with political parties, with democracy, and also with the Socialist Party. After the catastrophe we experienced three months ago, with the sense of democratic humility that must guide our political and civic lives, I felt the party I have the honor and privilege to represent reconnected with the Portuguese,” he argued.
From the perspective of the PS Secretary-General, the campaign “helped to place at the center of political discourse what matters to people,” such as housing, health, education, transport, mobility, public space quality, or collective security.
Reiterating the importance of Portuguese participation in these elections, the PS leader thanked the “thousands of candidates of all parties” on the lists for these local elections nationwide and also all those who are at polling stations today, noting that he himself chaired a table in the European elections when he was 18.
Carneiro, who arrived accompanied by his wife, placed the three ballots in the three different boxes at 09:19, waiting a few minutes for his turn to vote.
As he left, he was invited to participate in an exit poll being conducted at this school.
The PS leader will head to Lisbon in the afternoon and will follow the election night at Largo do Rato, the socialist headquarters serving as the command center for these local elections, where there will be a meeting of the National Secretariat in what are the first elections since he has been leading the party.
More than 9.3 million voters can participate in these local elections, according to voter registration data provided by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI).
Voters will choose the governing bodies of the 308 Municipal Councils, 308 Municipal Assemblies, and 3,221 Parish Assemblies, resulting in three voting ballots.
In total, 1,584 lists from parties, coalitions, and citizen groups are running for Municipal Councils, 1,519 for Municipal Assemblies, and 9,764 lists for Parish Assemblies, according to data extracted from the most updated lists provided by the General Secretariat of the MAI.
[Updated at 10:37]
