The General Secretary of the PS, Pedro Nuno Santos, confirmed on Sunday that the socialist Miguel Coelho was allegedly assaulted on his way to vote, condemning “any form of violence.”
“I wish for a calm day, but one of high electoral participation and respect for all. We must avoid incidents like the one we experienced this morning, involving violence against a socialist. We must respond firmly against any kind of violence or aggression. We must defend democracy,” stated Pedro Nuno Santos to journalists after casting his vote in Lisbon.
When questioned further about the incident, he confirmed simply that “it happened with Miguel Coelho.”
In a Facebook post, Miguel Coelho, who is the President of Santa Maria Maior Parish Council in Lisbon, claimed he was “assaulted” by an alleged supporter of the Chega party.
“I was just assaulted by an individual who called me a ‘friend of the monhés’ and knocked me to the ground with a slap to the face. He shouted ‘vote Chega,'” he wrote.
It is noteworthy that according to the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration (SGMAI), 10.8 million voters are eligible to vote in these elections.
A total of 230 deputies will be elected across 22 electoral districts, 18 of which are in mainland Portugal, with the remainder in the Azores, Madeira, Europe, and beyond Europe.
The electoral act is estimated to cost around 26.5 million euros.
There are 21 political forces contesting in these elections, three more than in the elections held in March last year.
