The postal vote counting began at 9:00 AM, with over 1,050 individuals nominated by political parties stationed at 150 voting tables to conduct the scrutiny.
The CNE spokesperson, André Wemans, informed journalists that more than 296,000 votes had arrived by Monday and that additional votes might still arrive today and on Wednesday.
Regarding the arrival of ballots from Portuguese residents abroad, Wemans remarked that it was “slightly similar to previous years,” without “significant change” or “notable increase.”
Of the votes received at the counting venue, the CNE official estimates that “around 244,000 are from Europe, 44,000 from the circle Outside Europe (…) 18,000 from Asia, and slightly fewer from Africa.”
Concerning confidentiality issues with voters’ identities, who alongside the ballot were required to send a copy of their citizen card, André Wemans assured that “each table has a paper shredding machine available and once the vote is verified in the checked registers, that identification document is automatically destroyed.”
Following the vote tally, final results are expected to be published in the Diário da República, either on Friday or Saturday, according to the official.
These votes will determine whether PS or Chega secures the second place in these elections.
Regarding the deputies elected by Europe and Outside Europe, two will be chosen for each circle.
Over the past 20 years, PS and PSD shared mandates between Europe and Outside Europe, but this bipartisanship ended in 2024 when Chega elected one deputy per circle.
The top three parties will be consulted by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on Thursday.
The AD – PSD/CDS Coalition won the legislative elections on May 18, with 89 deputies, including three elected through the AD coalition with the PPM in the Azores, while PS and Chega tied in the number of parliamentary seats secured, each with 58.
