“At this moment, we have no information on any boycotts; everything is proceeding normally. There are minor incidents here and there, but they are normal during elections,” stated the spokesperson for the National Electoral Commission (CNE), André Wemans.
“We have received some complaints from voters who have to wait for the counting [of postal votes], but the polling station is already open when this happens,” he clarified.
According to the CNE spokesperson, polling stations are required to handle early ballots upon opening: “By law, one of the first tasks is to check the received envelopes, then open the ballot and place it in the ballot box.”
“This procedure is causing delays at some stations. People may have to wait, and since we had a record turnout for early voting, it might be causing a heavier start at certain locations,” he admitted.
Data on mobility voting, submitted to the CNE by the General Secretariat of Internal Administration, showed 333,000 registrations for early voting, with participation around 94%, approximately 314,000 votes, according to André Wemans.
The polling stations for the early legislative elections will close today at 7:00 PM in mainland Portugal and Madeira, closing an hour later in the Azores due to the time difference.
