The Assembly of the Republic this Friday approved in general terms the exceptional arrangement proposed by the government that will allow mobile voting and the right to vote early in next year’s European elections, with PSD, PCP and BE abstaining.
PAN diplomas to improve voting conditions for people with disabilities and another to eliminate discrimination against CPLP citizens in local referenda are also under discussion.
On the way was a diploma from Livre that was intended to enshrine the right to vote by mail for voters residing abroad in the European elections, with votes against from the PS, PCP and BE.
During the debate, the Secretary of State for Internal Administration, Isabel Oneto, guaranteed the safety and reliability of the regime proposed by the government, despite the concerns of the PSD and BE banks and strong reservations on the part of the communists.
When asked about the cost of the process by the Social Democrats, the Secretary of State would not commit to any number for now, saying that an investigation is being carried out and only clarifying that it will not be funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan ( PRR).
“If it has to increase voter participation, whatever the cost, it will be worth it,” defended Isabel Oneto.
For the PSD, Representative Hugo Carneiro expressed his agreement with the principle of encouraging electoral participation, but raised questions also raised by the National Election Commission, such as whether it will be possible for the government to know “when and at who I vote for in each constituency” — a possibility dismissed by Isabel Oneto, though she recalled that “voting is public.”
BE MEP Isabel Pires questioned how to guarantee “that there is no margin for fraud” where voting can be done anywhere in the country, and questioned the early voting regime in the houses that was in place during the pandemic.
PCP parliamentary leader Paula Santos went further and even questioned the security of voting with dematerialized voters’ lists, asking how this will happen in areas with poor internet access, recalling recent difficulties in conducting global tests.
Chega, through deputy Jorge Galveias, expressed support for all initiatives to increase electoral participation, while IL parliamentary leader Rodrigo Saraiva regretted that an external factor had been necessary to “bring the PS out of its immobility” and criticized that early voting is not possible. possible in the regional offices of Madeira.
Socialist deputy Pedro Delgado Alves emphasized that it is only an exceptional regime for the time being due to “unfavorable calendars”, and expressed confidence in the system as “all instruments are known”.
The Secretary of State reiterated her assurances that when a voter casts his vote, his name and citizen card number will be downloaded onto the network, “he cannot vote at another table”, and stressed that anyone who still has an identity card will not be put in be able to resort to mobile voting.
The government diploma allows any citizen who presents the citizen card on election day to vote by mobile, without prior registration, at any polling station in the national territory or abroad, thanks to the use of dematerialized electoral rolls.
On the other hand, early voting is also allowed on the Sunday before the 2024 European elections and, as with the pandemic, there will be a system of early voting for hospitalized patients, detained citizens and citizens temporarily abroad displaced.
This proposal came after the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, opposed by Portugal, announced that the next European elections will be held between 6 and 9 June 2024 – in Portugal on Sunday 9 June.
On June 10, the Day of Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities is celebrated. And June 13 is a public holiday in several municipalities, including Lisbon.
Source: DN
