Over two million people have already cast their votes, surpassing one in five voters, according to figures released by the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI).
Voter turnout has increased compared to the last municipal elections held on September 26, 2021. Up until the same hour, 20.94% of voters had voted four years ago. However, in the 2017 municipal elections, turnout by 12:00 was higher at 22.05%.
The polls opened at 08:00 and will remain open until 19:00. In the Azores, due to the one-hour time difference, polls open and close 60 minutes later than those on the mainland and in Madeira.
More than 9.3 million voters are eligible to vote in these municipal elections, according to registration data provided by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI).
Of the 9,303,840 registered voters, 9,262,722 are national citizens. Among the remainder, 18,319 are foreign EU voters, and 22,799 are non-EU foreign voters, all registered within the national territory.
Voters will be choosing the governing bodies of the 308 Municipal Chambers, 308 Municipal Assemblies, and 3,221 Parish Assemblies, requiring three ballots.
In total, 1,584 lists of parties, coalitions, and citizen groups are candidates for the Municipal Chambers, 1,519 for the Municipal Assemblies, and 9,764 lists for the Parish Assemblies, according to the most updated lists from the General Secretariat of the MAI.
[Article updated at 13:16]
