Voting for Portuguese parliamentary election started on Sunday morning (local time). There was no clarity as to early signs of who would be the winner. Voter turnout was predicted to be low amid rise in Covid infections.
Polling stations opened at 0800 GMT
At the University of Lisbon, staff outnumbered mostly elderly voters, with signs on the walls asking people to wear a mask, observe social distancing and to use their own pen.
Some even wore gloves for extra protection.
“I have been vaccinated, and I haven’t had COVID yet… But I felt very safe,” said Maria Odete, 73, adding that the election race appeared too close to produce a stable government capable of bringing positive change.
Those infected have been given permission by the government to leave isolation and cast ballots on person. It has been recommended that they cast their votes in the last hour before polling stations close at 1900 GMT
Over a tenth of Portugal’s 10 million people are estimated to be isolating because of COVID-19. As in many European countries, infections have spiked lately, stoked by the Omicron variant, although widespread vaccination has kept deaths and hospitalisations lower than in earlier waves.
The election is wide open as the centre-left ruling Socialists have lost much of their lead in opinion polls to the main opposition party, the centre-right Social Democrats, and neither is likely to win a stable majority.
Low turnout could make projections unreliable, analysts say. Abstention was already record at 51% in the 2019 general election before the pandemic.
The vote, called in November after parliament rejected the minority Socialist government’s budget bill, is likely to worsen political volatility and could produce a short-lived government, unless one of the main parties manages to cobble together a working alliance, which could be a daunting task.
“We want more stability but I don’t think that’s what is going to happen. I think we’ll have one or two years of instability,” said Mario Henriques, 42, as he walked out of the polling station in a rush, wearing sports clothes.
(With inputs from agencies)
