Last night’s voting ended with António José Seguro not simply becoming Portugal’s next president but the most voted president in the history of Portuguese democracy.
In spite of the floods,and unbelievable difficulties facing so many people as result of the last two weeks’ ‘carousel of storms’, people turned out in surprising numbers.
Abstention – which was one of the ‘concerns’ of these elections – was nothing like initially feared. Roughly 50% of the country exercised their ‘democratic right’ – albeit a large number of ‘blank’ papers (‘votos em branco’) were handed in (173,806); and ‘spoiled papers’ (votos nulos) tripled in comparison to voting in these elections’ first round, reaching 97,714.
The former Socialist leader – who returns to public life after a 10-year absence – nonetheless managed to scoop 66.82% of the national vote, polling 3,482,481 votes – almost twice as many as the 1,729,381 votes polled by his adversary, CHEGA leader André Ventura.
As all pundits had been predicting, Seguro’s overall win was never in any doubt. It is just that the sheer weight of votes – and numbers of people who turned out to vote – exceeded expectations.
Looking at the country as a whole, António José Seguro won ‘everywhere’ – except in the municipalities that have yet to vote (Alcácer do Sal, Arruda dos Vinhos and Golegã), and in Elvas and one municipality in Madeira.
Even in areas where some voting sections have delayed voting (due to the bad weather/lack of conditions to open polling stations), Seguro was the most voted candidate.
Giving his victory speech around 11pm last night, the incoming president’s first words were for the 15 people who lost their lives in the “catastrophe that has hit us all”, and for those who have lost their homes and/ or businesses.
Promising to be a president for “all, all, all”, Seguro stressed that the solidarity of Portuguese people has been heroic following recent weather-related disasters but that it “can never substitute the responsibility of the state.”
The millions of euros promised for reconstruction have to reach their destinations “now”, and Seguro will “never abandon” the people who have been affected in making sure the state aid gets through to them.
“We need a country that is prepared; not a country that is surprised. We have to be better at organising rather than improvising…” he said.
The incoming president spoke with “a full heart; full of gratitude, emotion and responsibility” dedicating his victory to the Portuguese who believe in a “just, modern country” which “leaves no one behind”.
As for André Ventura (who has never made any bones about the fact that he would far prefer to be Portugal’s prime minister), he conceded defeat readily, stressing that his CHEGA party would “soon” be governing this country.
Among the very relevant statements made by António José Seguro last night were assurances that he has no interest in changing the Constitution; in increasing the president’s powers – nor in dissolving the current government.
These are all important lines in the sand to establish before the new president takes office on March 9 – and will definitely go down well with the minority government that is not finding ‘governing’ (as it would like) without problems.
Seguro stressed that he will “treat all parties equally”, and that “freedom” is his watchword.
For now, the nation heaves a sigh of relief that ‘a moderate’ is taking over from President Marcelo, not a populist given to over-exaggeration and knee-jerk reactions.
The coming days will give more indication of how the new president means to run things, given that he has a very supportive wife – herself from a Socialist background – who may take a more active role in Belém than citizens have become used to over the last 10 years in which President Marcelo has been a definite ‘one-man-band’.
