Africa-Press – Cape verde. The TSP Association – We Too Are Portuguese” today considered the cancellation of 122,327 votes cast by Portuguese people abroad in the legislative elections “intolerable” due to the lack of a copy of their citizenship card and demanded urgent changes to electoral laws.
In a statement, the TSP said it was satisfied with the record participation of Portuguese people abroad, with 333,520 votes, an increase of 91.9% compared to the 2022 elections.
“[However,] the annulment of 36.68% of the votes casts a shadow on these elections, it is a democratic discredit on the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April – and it outrages the Portuguese communities”, he says.
“In 2022, in the aftermath of the repeat elections in Europe, we heard political leaders say that the priority in the Assembly of the Republic would be to change electoral laws. Nothing happened. We still do not have an alternative to copying the citizen card, there has not been an extensive campaign to correct addresses, and tests of digital voting (remote electronic voting) have not started, a solution recommended by the majority of Portuguese abroad”, it is said in the note.
Therefore, the TSP demands that the future Government, the parties and the deputies elected to the Assembly of the Republic “strengthen democracy by implementing these changes, and increasing the representation of Portuguese people living abroad in the Assembly of the Republic”.
The association recalls that in this election, every 27 thousand voters in Portugal elected one deputy, but abroad it took 83 thousand voters to elect each of the four deputies representing emigration.
“This disparity is too visible, too unfair, and must be corrected. Four deputies are not enough to adequately represent these Portuguese people, who are increasingly expressing their commitment to participating in the construction of the country’s future, wherever they live”, is highlighted in the note.
The TSP also says that it will work with the parties and the future Assembly of the Republic to urgently review electoral and census laws as well as to review “discriminations in the areas of health and taxes for those living abroad, and to improve the support for the teaching of Portuguese and the associative movement”.
TSP – We Are Portuguese Too is an International Civic Association that promotes the civic and political participation of Portuguese people abroad, and the improvement of services provided by the Portuguese state.
According to the results published after midnight on the website of the general secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, the two coalitions led by the PSD (AD and Madeira Primeiro) gained, in total, 80 deputies (78 from the PSD, two from the CDS-PP), PS 78 and Chega 50.
Chega was the winner of the elections abroad, obtaining 18.30% of the votes, which guarantees two deputies: one from the Europe circle and the other from the Outside Europe circle. The PS and PSD got one deputy each.
For More News And Analysis About Cape verde Follow Africa-Press
