Livre spokesman Rui Tavares suggested a defeat for the party this Sunday and, despite highlighting the increase compared to previous European elections, called it a “sad night.”
“This is a sad night for Livre. We appreciate what we have achieved (…), but there is also disappointment due to the failure of the elections and the defeat, as a result of which Livre, with a result very close to 4%, cannot be elected,” lamented Rui Tavares.
According to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of the Interior, Livre received 3.75% of the vote in Sunday’s European elections, but this result was not enough to elect the head of the list, Francisco Pauperio.
“This is the result that, in any normal scenario, would allow us to be here and celebrate. Unfortunately, it is not. This is the night that Livre loses the election and I want to accept this defeat,” the spokesman said in front of dozens of supporters at the Teatro da Luz, where the party was present on election night.
Rui Tavares in particular thanked Francisco Pauperio and praised the campaign, finding the party to be instructive and, knowing that “Europe is at a very difficult crossroads”, focused on European issues.
On the other hand, highlighting the growth of the party, which doubled the number of votes compared to 2019 and achieved its best ever result in percentage terms, he acknowledged that “we need to reflect.”
Responsible for the political analysis of the results was another Livre representative, Isabel Mendes López, who argued that it was clear that the party was continuing on the path of growth and consolidation and that “the European green left in Portugal is here to stay.”
“This consolidation is particularly relevant in this scenario, where the far right in Portugal is regressing, and shows that a discourse of hope is indeed the best way to fight the far right,” he said.
On the other hand, Isabel Méndez López believes that the results also show the importance of bringing the left together to offer solutions to the country.
The PS was the party with the most votes (32.1% and eight MEPs) in Sunday’s European elections, ahead of the Democratic Alliance, which had 31.1% and seven seats, according to preliminary results.
According to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of the Interior (GSAI), Chega, which elected two members of the European Parliament, became the third political force with 9.79%.
Also, after the election of two deputies, the Liberal Initiative (IL) received 9.07% of the votes.
The Left Bloc (BE) received 4.25% of the votes and the CDU (PCP/PEV) 4.12%, receiving one MEP each.
For the first time, it was possible to vote at any polling station, regardless of the place of registration, the so-called mobile voting.
A total of 10,819,317 domestic citizens and 11,255 foreign citizens were registered for these European elections, making a total of 10,830,572 registered voters.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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