Hundreds of thousands of voters can cast their ballots early this Sunday, ahead of the 18 May legislative elections. This marks the highest number of voters ever registered to exercise their right to vote in advance.
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More than 333,000 registered voters in Portugal can vote this Sunday in advance for the legislative elections on 18 May. This is a record number since mobile voting was implemented in the southern European country, according to its Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Mobile voting allows voters to cast their ballots in advance at the polling station that is most convenient for them, as long as they mark the place where they want to vote when they register.
In the last elections, in 2024, 208,000 voters, including Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, voted in advance and abroad. The president is due to vote early again on Sunday.
Around 10 million voters living in Portugal and abroad are registered to vote in these elections, which were brought forward after the fall of the centre-right minority government.
In March, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro had a motion of confidence rejected in parliament following a case involving himself and a company owned by his family, Spinumviva. The case raised doubts about whether public officials followed rules on conflicts of interest.
In light of the controversy, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dissolved the coalition government led by Montenegro.
At a time when the electoral campaign is about to enter its final week, 21 parties are running in these early elections, including coalitions.
According to a poll carried out for Euronews, Luís Montenegro's AD (PSD/CDS) coalition is in the lead with 34.1% of voting intentions.
The Socialist Party, led by Pedro Nuno Santos, would have 27.1%, and the far-right Chega party would maintain its position as the third most popular with 15.2%. The Liberal Initiative would receive 8.3% of the vote.
These numbers refer to a Consulmark2 poll for Nascer do SOL and Euronews, carried out between 14 and 22 April.