The government on Thursday approved a proposal to amend the electoral law for the European Parliament to guarantee mobile voting anywhere in the national territory, the interior minister announced.
Speaking at a press conference, José Luís Carneiro said that in the European Parliament elections, early voting will be allowed on the Sunday before the day of the 2024 European elections and mobile voting abroad in polling stations in Portuguese communities.
Against the opposition of Portugal, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has announced that the next European elections will take place between 06 and 09 June 2024.
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.
Last week, in Reykjavík, on the sidelines of the Council of Europe Summit, the Prime Minister, António Costa, expressed his concern at the decision that goes against the Portuguese position of the next European elections to be held between 6 and 9 June 2024. held and added that Portugal will intensify the mobility vote.
Faced with this unfavorable calendar in terms of fighting abstinence in Portugal, the Prime Minister added that the government is “working to bring the mobility voting system into full effect”.
“The mobility voting system has already been used experimentally in other elections. Now we are going to make a big effort so that we can have this system fully in place next year, so that people who are out of place have usual place to stay, as long as it is in Portugal – because they are on holiday or taking advantage of the long weekend to explore the country of visit their relatives – they can vote wherever they are”, he said.
António Costa also noted that, technically, the application of the mobility voting system is facilitated in the European elections, as it is an electoral law with a single national constituency.
Contrary to what happened in previous election acts, this time for the 2024 European elections, early voting, with an emphasis on mobile voting, on June 9 of next year, taking full advantage of the digitization of the election act. roll.
Source: DN
