Marcelo has already voted to see the Pope: “Vote, because there can be no elections next year”

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa voted in advance at 11:30 am at the Vila Real Chamber of Santo António, in the district of Faro. It will be at Pope Leo XIV’s first mass at the Vatican on election day.

The President of the Republic took advantage of the occasion to appeal to the vote, noting that in the next 12 months there can be no elections, and considered that the number of people to vote in advance is a sign that abstention could lower.

“My appeal is to vote. Vote for a very simple reason. The world is as it is, not easy, it is harder than a year ago and on the other hand there can be no elections next year“He told reporters.

While waiting in line to vote, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke to the people who were also waiting for his turn, explaining that he asked for the anticipated vote to be able to go to the Vatican to the inaugural mass of the pontificate of, scheduled for May 18, early legislative elections in Portugal.

Looking at the amount of people who were voting in the same place, the head of state said that this is a sign that There may be less abstention.

“I must say that I am very impressed by the number of voters, whether in general and here, in particular, I never thought that so many people to vote,” he said, adding that the high number – record – of people who signed up for the anticipated vote is a sign that people want to vote.

“Having increased [o voto antecipado] people also know more, they know better, they know that it is a way to prevent anything that happens on the day of voting, but I think it is a sign I may mean, those who vote in the national territory […] I think here, in principle, It can happen as happened a year ago when the young people were the surprise and made the abstention down“, These.