Votes will be counted on May 28
The current PS/ CHEGA tie (of 58 MPs apiece) could well be broken when the count of emigré votes is completed on May 28.
As of Friday last week, only 12% of votes cast by Portuguese citizens living and/ or working abroad had arrived in Portugal.
According to data from the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, a total of 1,578,890 emigré voters registered for these elections. Of the letters received so far have come from Europe (85.73%), followed by America (11.56%), Asia and Oceania (2.08%) and Africa (0.63%).
The letters began to be sent out on April 12, to 192 destinations, with the last shipment taking place on April 21.
Of the envelopes sent, 77,509 have since been returned.
In addition to the postal vote, 5,832 voters are registered to vote in person: 845 in Europe, 1,375 in Africa, 3,001 in America and 611 in Asia and Oceania.
The result of these votes will be announced on May 28 (10 days after the national elections) and will categorically confirm which party (PS or CHEGA) has come second in the snap elections.
Over the last 20 years, the PS and PSD have divided mandates across Europe and Outside Europe, but this bipartisanship ended in 2024, when Chega elected one deputy for each of these two constituencies – doing better than PS Socialists and AD, both of whom only managed one each.
Source: Lusa
