The government approved this Thursday a proposal to amend the European Parliament election law to guarantee mobile voting anywhere in the national territory, the interior minister said.
At the press conference, José Luis Carneiro also revealed that the European Parliament elections will allow early voting on the Sunday before European Election Day 2024 and mobile voting abroad at polling stations of the Portuguese communities.
With Portuguese opposition, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has announced that the next European elections will be held from 6 to 9 June 2024.
June 10 is the Day of Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities. And June 13 is a holiday in several municipalities, including Lisbon.
In the presence of journalists, the Minister of the Interior underlined “two important changes in order to create better conditions for the election campaign in the European elections.”
“The permanent goal of the government program is achieved through the dematerialization of voter lists, which guarantees the mobility of voting on election day to any place within the country or even abroad where we have Portuguese communities, regardless of the place of origin or registration. these citizens. It will also help consolidate the already tried and tested practice of early voting on the Sunday leading up to the elections,” said José Luis Carneiro.
Also, according to a member of the government, the next European elections will also have early voting on mobility for hospitalized patients, detained citizens and citizens temporarily displaced abroad.
“We want to fight the low level of participation in elections in Europe. In the last electoral act, the abstention rate was around 69%. Therefore, it is a way to guarantee a higher level of participation in elections. [da proposta de lei] and the decision of the Assembly of the Republic,” emphasized the holder of the internal management portfolio.
Last week in Reykjavik, on the sidelines of the Council of Europe summit, Prime Minister António Costa expressed concern about the decision, contrary to Portugal’s position, regarding the next European elections, due to be held between 6 and 9 June 2024, and added that Portugal would step up the vote for mobility.
Faced with this unfavorable calendar in terms of combating abstentions in Portugal, the prime minister added that the government is “working to fully implement the voting mobility system.”
“Mobility voting has already been piloted in other elections. Now we are going to make a big effort so that next year we can bring this system into full force, so that people who are not in their place of usual residence while it is in Portugal – because they are on vacation or enjoy long holidays, to visit the land of their relatives – they can vote wherever they are,” he said.
António Costa also noted that from a technical point of view, the application of the mobility system in European elections is facilitated, since it is an electoral act with a single national constituency.
Statute of eight professional orders
The Council of Ministers also approved new provisions for eight professional orders.
Professional orders include certified accountants, veterinarians, nutritionists, psychologists, physical therapists, official dispatchers, social workers, and biologists.
At the same time, he approved a diploma that amends the statutes and functioning of professional societies belonging to professional public associations to allow the creation of interdisciplinary societies.
“In both diplomas, the government took into account the participation of professional orders, approaching the problems of some of them,” the Council of Ministers told reporters at a press conference at the end of the meeting.
“As for the interdisciplinary societies of professionals, we took into account the contribution of all the orders that were expressed and approached as far as it is possible to understand the positions of some of them. An important approximation to the concerns that the orders have publicly expressed regarding the characterization of the relevant acts,” the Secretary of State said of the eight new statutes already approved.
The group of eight orders with the new charter approved today includes certified psychologists and accountants, with André Moz Caldas citing that earlier this week there was “a fruitful exchange of views that led to changes in the version that the government has now approved, significantly bringing the concerns of these two orders closer.”
Fire extinguishing agents
José Luis Carneiro, Minister of the Interior, said that “the figures for this year are very demanding” and that air resources need to be strengthened in the national context.
“Every effort is being made within the reach of the government,” he assured.
Author: Portuguese This morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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