Floods become campaign’s main topic

Portugal will chose its new president on the second round of voting, this Sunday.

The two candidates are divided on this Sunday’s vote. Socialist António José Seguro supports any solution that complies with the electoral law and the constitution. But the populist candidate André Ventura urges the government to declare a national emergency, arguing that only an exceptional circumstance would legally justify postponing the elections nationwide by a week.

The CNE – National Elections Commission – has confirmed that the second round will proceed as scheduled on Sunday, stating there is no justification for a nationwide postponement. They also reminded that national elections were held as planned even during the pandemic.

The entity also announced that they have agreed to permit certain councils to locally delay the vote in the most impacted areas. More than 60 municipalities have requested an 8-day postponement.

Several consecutive storms have been affecting Portugal for more than a week and there’s still no end in sight.