At least 14 people have died during, or shortly after, extratropical cyclones Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta, which have led to severe flooding from Alcoutim in the south to Porto in the north, where the Douro River overflowed into the Ribeira neighborhood. Strong winds have caused power outages affecting over 100,000 homes, and the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere has issued a yellow alert for all coastal municipalities.
Weather-related disruptions to the public transport networks might hinder voters from reaching polling stations. Traffic is suspended on Coimbra’s urban railway network, and the rail service linking Lisbon to seaside suburbs like Estoril and Cascais is running on a limited schedule.
To postpone or not to postpone?
Ventura called for the runoff to be postponed, arguing the country was “not capable of holding elections” under these conditions.
While 19 severely impacted municipalities — with 31,862 voters — are allowed to delay the vote by one week, polling stations elsewhere are open. Outgoing President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and the National Electoral Commission stated that postponing the vote nationwide would violate electoral law.
Center-left candidate Seguro suggested Ventura was trying to create confusion about the election’s status because he “has many incentives to push for the electoral demobilization of the Portuguese people.”
In a televised address, Rebelo de Sousa reaffirmed the vote was proceeding and encouraged electors to “overcome the calamity” to vote. Comparing the current conditions to those during the 2021 presidential elections amid the Covid pandemic, the outgoing president stated, “voting means freedom, voting means democracy, voting means Portugal.”
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