Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in mainland Portugal and Madeira, while in the Azores, polling stations will open and close an hour later due to the time difference.
The General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration (SGMAI) states that 10.8 million voters are eligible to participate in today’s early legislative elections.
Last Sunday, more than 314,000 of the 333,347 registered voters for early voting had already cast their ballots, marking a turnout of 94.45%, according to data released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
This figure surpasses the turnout recorded in the 2024 legislative elections, which saw a participation rate of 93.8% in early mobility voting.
A total of 230 deputies will be elected across 22 electoral districts—18 in mainland Portugal and the remainder in the Azores, Madeira, Europe, and outside Europe—in an electoral process with an estimated cost of approximately 26.5 million euros.
Twenty-one political forces are contesting these elections, an increase of three compared to the elections in March last year.
The Social Liberal Party (PLS) is the only new party entering this electoral race, joining AD (PSD/CDS-PP), PS, Chega, IL, BE, CDU (PCP/PEV), Livre, PAN, ADN, RIR, JPP, PCTP/MRPP, New Right, Volt Portugal, Ergue-te, Nós, Cidadãos!, PPM, and, with lists exclusively in one or both autonomous regions, MPT, PTP, and PSD/CDS/PPM.
In the previous legislative elections, held on March 10, 2024, the abstention rate was 40.10%, which was a decrease compared to the 48.54% abstention rate in the 2022 legislative elections.
The current legislative term, which was due to end in 2028, was cut short after a vote of no confidence tabled by the minority PSD/CDS-PP government was rejected by PS, Chega, BE, PCP, Livre, and PAN’s single deputy.
This decision followed the introduction of two motions of censure against the government (by PCP and Chega, both defeated) and an inquiry commission proposed by PS, with the Prime Minister citing the need for “political clarification” as justification.
At the heart of the political crisis were reports regarding the Prime Minister’s family company, Spinumviva, which led the opposition to raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest and accusations of a lack of transparency aimed at Luís Montenegro.
