Authorities’ insistence on pressing ahead with the final round of the presidential elections tomorrow – in spite of so many communities being in varying states of chaos due to the ‘carousel of storms’ that have hit the country – has seen a number of parish councils announce that they have decided to delay the process.
Initially, it was only the flood-hit municipality of Alcácer do Sal that said it had no conditions to take part in Sunday’s vote.
Alcácer’s decision was then followed by Arruda dos Vinhos (badly affected by landslides yesterday), Pombal (battered and in large parts without electricity since Storm Kristin) and Golegã (on red alert for flooding).
Pombal has since ‘changed its mind’ and said voting can take place tomorrow – but in the meantime a number of other places have said, in certain areas, they too want to delay voting.
Thus, as of this morning – with 13 districts under orange alert due to the latest depression (Marta) – three voting sections in Santarém have said they are deferring voting until February 15: São Vicente do Paúl, Reguengo de Alviela and Santa Iria de Ribeira de Santarém; while the municipality of Rio Maior has decided to ‘stagger’ the elections: most of Rio Maior will be voting tomorrow, except in the voting sections of Alcoberta and Azinheira
In Condeixa-a-Nova, three locations normally used for people to cast their votes are being ‘moved’ (again because of the damages caused by bad weather), and just to confuse the picture even further, one parish in the municipality of Leiria is also delaying voting until February 15.
As to how citizens feel about these elections taking place in the middle of a ‘national catastrophe’, tomorrow’s ‘results’ will be a very good indication. Fears are that abstention will be higher than normal, even though the morning is not expected to see so much in the way of driving rain and high winds.
Meantime, the effects of weeks of heavy rain are cropping up here and there every day. Just this morning in Costa da Caparica, 30 people have had to be evacuated from apartments in São João area, due to (yet) another landslide.
Landslides are being reported with alarming regularity – and this is another factor that may dissuade people from leaving their homes to ‘exercise of the democratic right’ of choosing Portugal’s next ‘head of state’. Is the risk (for some) of driving along country roads with steep banks on either side of them ‘worth it’?
There are also the numbers of people (around 400) who have been ‘evacuated from their homes’ (as a result of them being rendered uninhabitable) who may find themselves staying with friends or relatives – and some way from the voting districts in which they are enrolled.
All in all, this ‘presidential run-off’ between PS candidate António José Seguro and CHEGA leader André Ventura is looking ‘beyond complicated’ – and has seen many people commenting over social media that Mr Ventura was right when he proposed delaying the voting nationally until the situation in the country has become ‘calmer’.
As for today’s weather update – roads in various areas remain submerged and/ or impassable for other reasons, while authorities have warned of an elevated risk of flooding in the Tejo, Sado and Mondego river basins.
Sources: NOW television/ SIC Notícias/ Social networks
