The European elections will take place on Sunday in Portugal, and voters will be able to go to any polling station at home or abroad to elect 21 Portuguese MEPs.
These elections are held every five years, and in the 27 EU member states they will be held from June 6 to 9.
Here are some questions and answers about this campaign event:
How many Portuguese MEPs will be elected?
21 national MEPs will be elected out of 720.
How many voters will be able to vote in this election?
According to data published by the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI), between 10,830,572 and 10,819,317 nationals and 11,255 foreign citizens will be able to vote in Sunday’s elections in Portugal.
How many are there abroad?
About 1.5 million Portuguese voters are registered abroad, of which just over 900 thousand are going to vote in Europe and 643 thousand are registered outside the European continent.
Which national political forces are participating in the European elections?
17 parties and coalitions will participate in the European Parliament elections on June 9, the same number as in 2019: Democratic Alliance (SDP/CDU/PPM), PS, Chega, Liberal Initiative, Left Bloc, CDU (PKP/PEV coalition). /ID), Livre, PAN, ADN, MAS, Ergue-te, Nova Direita, Volt Portugal, RIR, Us Citizens, MPT and PTP.
Who can vote?
Portuguese citizens over 18 years of age registered in the Portuguese electoral register in the national territory, as well as adult Portuguese citizens registered in Portugal and residing outside the national territory who have not decided to vote in another Member State of the European Union.
Non-European Union citizens registered in Portugal who choose to vote for Portuguese Members of the European Parliament, as well as Brazilian citizens holding a citizenship card or a Portuguese identity card (with equal status of political rights) can also vote.
Anyone who turns 18 by Election Day can vote.
How many people voted early in Portugal?
Voters registered in the national territory had the opportunity to vote in advance by mobile on Sunday, June 2, a week before the elections, in a location of their choice, which includes any municipality on the mainland or in the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira.
According to MAI, almost 90% of the 252,209 voters registered to vote early exercised their right. The number of voters who cast ballots on Sunday was 225,039, representing 89% of the 252,209 registered.
Prisoners and hospitalized patients were also able to vote in advance, whose votes were collected by the city council president between May 27 and May 30.
Is it true that there was a high abstention rate in the European elections in Portugal?
Yes, in 1987, in the first European elections in which Portugal participated as a member state, only 27.58% abstained, and just two years later this figure increased to 48.9%.
Since 1994, the abstention rate in European elections has always been above 50%: that year it was 64.46%, in 1999 it fell to 60%, but in 2004 it rose again to 61.2%. In 2009, abstentions amounted to 63.23%, and in 2014 – 66.16%.
Abstention in the European elections in Portugal reached an all-time high in 2019, when 69.27% of Portuguese voters did not vote.
What problems worry European citizens most? And specifically the Portuguese?
According to the latest Eurobarometer, published in April, 33% of European citizens selected fighting poverty and social exclusion, and supporting public health (32%) as the main issues they would like to see discussed during the election campaign.
Economic support and job creation, as well as EU defense and security, came in third place with 31%.
These three themes coincide with the interests most expressed by the Portuguese.
About 25% of Portuguese citizens surveyed listed the defense and security of the European Union as a topic they would like to see discussed during the election campaign, while 22% voted for the topic “EU autonomy in the fields of industry and energy.”
Of Portuguese respondents, 17% prioritize debate on climate action, 11% want agricultural policy discussed, and only 8% expressed concerns about migration and asylum.
What were the results of the 2019 elections?
In the 2019 European elections, the PS won with 33.38% of the votes, gaining 9 seats in the European Parliament. The SDP came second with 21.94% of the vote and six MEPs, followed by BE with two (9.82%).
The CDU coalition (PCP/PEV/ID) also won two seats in the European Parliament, while the CDS-PP and PAN each elected one MEP.
Sources: CNE, official website of the European Parliament, Eurocide, Eurobarometer, Constitutional Court, electoral legislation.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.