The outgoing President of the Government of Madeira (PSD/CDS-PP), Miguel Albuquerque, said this Sunday that voter turnout is going “very well” and noted that the political crisis in the region will not deter Madeirans from voting.
“I don’t think so, I think it could have the opposite effect, we’ll see,” Albuquerque said when asked whether the political crisis in the region, following a trial of suspected corruption involving Madeira’s executive president, would alienate voters. surveys.
The outgoing regional government president and PSD/Madeira leader spoke to reporters after exercising his right to vote at the Escola Básica da Ajuda in Funchal.
Miguel Albuquerque expressed confidence in the victory of the Madeira Primeiro coalition (PSD/CDS-PP), which claims the Madeira constituency, which elects a total of six deputies.
“I think that people have an idea and make their judgments in the elections, but I think that at the moment there is one certainty: on the one hand, the government of the Socialist Party is very worn out, and on the other hand, people know that only the SDP and the coalition led by the PSD has always uncompromisingly defended the interests of the region before the Assembly of the Republic,” he said.
Asked whether the PSD/Madeira could also break down after the political crisis, Albuquerque replied: “Maybe, but I think that at this point people have already understood and are internalizing what has happened, and this election will already be a signal regarding the issue. which you ask me.”
Polling stations for legislative elections opened this Sunday at 8:00 am in mainland Portugal and Madeira and closed at 7:00 pm.
According to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (GSAI), 10,819,122 voters can vote. A total of 230 deputies will be elected in 22 constituencies (18 of which are in mainland Portugal and the rest in the Azores, Madeira, Europe and outside Europe) in an electoral exercise that will cost around 24 million euros.
There are 18 political parties running for seats in these expected legislative elections, three fewer than in the 2019 and 2022 elections.
In the previous legislative election, on January 30, 2022, the abstention rate was 48.54%, which is lower than the 2019 legislative election, in which the abstention rate reached a record high of 51.43%.