Marcelo calls on voters to use voting as a weapon for democracy and peace

This Saturday, the President of the Republic called on voters to take part in the European elections, using voting as a weapon of freedom, democracy and peace, given that Europe is experiencing its most serious situation in 30 years.

“In the past we paid too little attention to these elections, which, however, were about Europe, but also about Portugal, about ourselves: our democracy, our living conditions, our circulation, our communities in Europe,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said in a message country from Castelo de Leiria regarding Sunday’s elections.

“Portuguese: This time, even more than ever, it is worth showing that voting is a weapon of freedom, a weapon of democracy, a weapon of peace. Weapons that did not exist before 1974,” he added.

In an address to voters that lasted about three and a half minutes, the head of state said that at the moment “there is a war at stake” on European territory, in Ukraine, “its consequences and the urgency of ensuring that this conflict can be overcome as quickly as possible.

“To not vote now is to bury our head in the sand, to lose due to lack of turnout, instead of saying what we want, to give more power to our representatives in Europe, to give more power to Europe in the world,” he said. .

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized that in these European Parliament elections “more than 225 thousand Portuguese have already voted in advance” and that “you can vote tomorrow.” [domingo] in mobility” at any polling station in the country.

At the beginning of his statement, he outlined the differences between the current situation and the “very different” situation that existed at the previous European elections in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent crisis and war that began in Ukraine. with Russian invasion in February 2022.

According to the head of state, “in 2019, it was believed that everything could be faster with the continuous growth of economies and with much greater social justice, correcting the inequalities that people lose in their daily lives – and they always lose the poorest.” , dependent and fragile.”

“We are experiencing, as we know, the most serious situation in Europe in the last 30 years,” he said.

“Now we can no longer pretend that there is no war, that we don’t care whether it lasts a short time or a long time and how it ends, that it doesn’t affect us all: prices, wages, employment, uncertainty about our future,” he said .

The President of the Republic concluded the usual presidential message delivered on the eve of the elections by declaring that the vote is “more important, more necessary, more urgent than ever.”

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa urged voters not to miss this “even more unique opportunity” to build the future, “especially at a critical moment for Europe, Portugal and everyone.”

Portugal will hold European elections on Sunday, in which 17 parties and coalitions will take part: AD (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM), PS, Chega, IL, BE, CDU (PCP/PEV), Livre, PAN, ADN. , MAS, Rise up, Nova Direita, Volt Portugal, RIR, US Citizens, MPT and PTP.

In the European Parliament, Portugal will have 21 deputies out of 720.