“I hope that tonight, there are more reasons for people to celebrate better conditions, so they can start Monday with improved circumstances,” stated Paulo Raimundo to journalists after casting his vote in polling station 16 at the primary school in Alhos Vedros.
Polling stations will remain open until 19:00 in mainland Portugal and Madeira, while in the Azores, they open and close an hour later than in Lisbon, due to the time difference.
A total of 230 deputies will be elected across 22 electoral districts—18 of which are in mainland Portugal, with the rest in the Azores, Madeira, Europe, and Outside Europe—in an electoral event costing around 26.5 million euros.
Twenty-one political forces are competing in these elections, three more than in the March elections of the previous year.
The Liberal Social Party (PLS) is the only newcomer in this electoral event, joining the ranks of AD (PSD/CDS-PP), PS, Chega, IL, BE, CDU (PCP/PEV), Livre, PAN, ADN, RIR, JPP, PCTP/MRPP, Nova Direita, Volt Portugal, Ergue-te, Nós, Cidadãos!, PPM and, with lists only in one or both autonomous regions, MPT, PTP, and PSD/CDS/PPM.
In the previous legislative elections on March 10, 2024, the abstention rate was 40.16%, the lowest since 2005, when it was 35.74% during José Sócrates’ first absolute majority for the PS.
