The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) announced on Monday that they have filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court due to “discrepancies between the tally sheet and the posted results at a polling station” in Lisbon, following the municipal elections held on October 12.
“During the general counting process, protests were lodged by the CDU. These protests relate to discrepancies in results between the tally sheet and the posted results at a polling station, the need for review by a higher instance regarding the nullity attributed to votes where we believe the voter’s intention is expressed, as well as differing criteria in assessing vote validity between political forces,” the party stated in a press release.
As a result, CDU Lisbon “decided to use the option to appeal to the Constitutional Court to allow it to review the decisions made during the general count.”
In statements to Lusa, Sofia Lisboa from CDU Lisbon described it as “a normal process“, noting that the coalition “always” accompanies the general counting of votes.
“Whenever there’s a need to contest a vote,” the CDU resorts to “the possibility available to political forces to make this appeal to the Constitutional Court,” she explained.
She acknowledges, however, that “this time it’s different,” because the vote margin is “very narrow,” and therefore, just a few votes may decide the election of a councilor.
What’s at stake?
Three situations are involved, among them a discrepancy between the vote counts in a tally sheet and the published results in a parish.
According to Sofia Lisboa, the Constitutional Court is expected to respond within two days, and until then, the electoral process in Lisbon will not be finalized. “We had until today and we met the deadline,” she emphasized.
It’s worth noting that Chega secured 26,755 votes in Lisbon, three more than the CDU, confirming the allocation of two councilors to Chega and one to the coalition, according to the general counting assembly.
The CDU, a coalition of PCP and PEV, stated last Tuesday, October 14, that there were 60 uncounted votes in the parish of São Domingos de Benfica in Lisbon, “which were not counted” on Sunday during the municipal elections.
Chega secured 26,755 votes in Lisbon, surpassing the CDU by three votes, which confirmed the allocation of two councilor positions to Chega and one to the coalition, according to the general counting assembly.
Lusa | 14:05 – 18/10/2025
Raimundo remains uncertain about the finalization of vote counting in Lisbon
The Secretary-General of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo, said last Friday in Porto that he is uncertain whether the process of vote counting for the Lisbon City Council has been concluded, stating the party’s intention to analyze the considerations taken into account.
“The general count is finished, but I’m not sure the process is finalized. Therefore, we are now evaluating both the numbers and the reports,” the communist leader stated in comments to the journalists at the end of a rally.
The Secretary-General of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo, expressed doubt in Porto about the finalization of the vote counting process for the Lisbon City Council, with the party intending to examine the deliberations taken into account.
Lusa | 18:40 – 18/10/2025
[News updated at 11:56]
