Highlighting a crucial decision, the social-democrat stated, “The people will once again decide,” referring to the vote concerning the sixth councilor of the executive.
“We will abide by the decision. We hope the electorate will again express itself as it did throughout the county,” commented António Barbosa, who currently presides over the municipality of Viana do Castelo and was re-elected on Sunday for a third term.
The repetition of the election is attributed to a tie in the parish assembly vote and some confusion at the polling stations. A complaint by a voter was not documented in the official minutes, prompting a judge to order a repeat vote for the three local government bodies.
Following Sunday’s vote, the PSD secured six councilors while the PS secured one for the Monção council; however, a shift in votes in Lara could alter this result.
In Lara, which has 269 registered voters, the PSD received 122 votes for the council, the PS garnered 43 votes, and Chega obtained 11 votes.
The Sunday vote for the parish assembly resulted in an 85-vote tie between the PSD and the Juntos Por Lara movement.
For the municipal assembly, the PSD achieved 124 votes, the PS collected 42, and Chega received 12 votes.
On Monday, the spokesperson for the national election commission explained that the tie in Lara would be assessed by the General Counting Assembly starting Tuesday.
Upon receiving the polling station records, the General Counting Assembly, led by a judge and composed of several members, conducts a thorough count, examining all protested and null votes for any irregularities.
The candidates for the Monção council include social-democrat António Barbosa, current officeholder, Sandra Caldas from the PS, Amélia Barbeitos from the CDU (PCP-PEV), and Armando Campos from Chega.
The current executive consists of five PSD members and two from the PS.
