Number of votes from Portuguese emigrants increased by 48.5%

The votes of emigrants in the legislative elections received in Portugal continue to exceed the number recorded in the previous election for the Assembly of the Republic, with the number of letters returned decreasing by more than a quarter, according to data from the Electoral Administration.

The most recent bulletin from the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration (SGMAI) with information and figures on voting abroad for last Sunday’s elections indicates that, of the more than 1.5 million letters sent by Portugal to these voters, Since February 4, 291,921 votes had been received by Thursday.

Comparing with the 2022 legislative elections, in which 196,486 letters were received in the same period, there is an increase of 48.5% in the votes of emigrants received in Portugal.

Letters with voting ballots began arriving on February 20th and the majority were sent from Europe 224,326 (77%), followed by America (56,926, 19%), Africa (8,873, 3%) and Asia and Oceania (1,696, 1%).

The Electoral Administration progresses even though 98,670 letters were returned, 26.9% less than the 135,038 returned in 2022 in the same period.

The main reason for letters to be returned is the “unknown” recipient at the indicated address (62.3%), followed by “unclaimed” (13.3%). Europe is the main origin of returned letters (92,913, 94%).

The votes of Portuguese emigrants will result in the election of four deputies, who could influence the final result of this electoral act, since the Democratic Alliance coalition (PSD/CDS/PPM) elected 79 deputies and the PS 77.

On Monday and until Wednesday, the votes of these emigrants will be collected and counted, with the result of their vote scheduled for the end of Wednesday.

Only after that date, and after hearing the parties with parliamentary representation, will the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, nominate the new prime minister.

The Democratic Alliance obtained a tangential victory, with 29.5%, in Sunday’s national legislative elections.

After the PS, Chega was the third most voted force, with 48 parliamentarians, followed by IL (eight mandates), BE (five), Livre and CDU (four each) and PAN (one).