The elected President of the Republic thanked the voters who went to the polls this Sunday and also those who made it possible to hold the second round of presidential elections in some places, and considered that democracy “was alive”.
In a message released on social media, Antonio José Seguro welcomed the voters who went to vote this Sunday in the 20 parishes that asked for the postponement of last Sunday’s elections following the bad weather that affected the country.
“Democracy lives on the participation of all of us. Each vote is an affirmation of freedom, responsibility and hope for the future”, defended the former secretary general of the PS, considering that “democracy is built every day and today, once again, it was alive”.
António José Seguro also thanked, “in a very special way, everyone who made this vote possible, the members of the voting tables, the employees, the security forces and everyone who, with a sense of duty and public service, ensured that this day passed with normality, transparency and respect”.
In this message, the future President also wished “a return to normal life as quickly as possible”.
Election Sunday in 3 municipalities
The second round of presidential elections was held today in 20 parishes and polling stations where voting was postponed for a week due to the effects of the storms, with a total of around 36 thousand registered.
António José Seguro won the presidential elections last Sunday, and saw his vote reinforced today, with more than 3.5 million votes and 66.83% of the votes, according to provisional final data from the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
André Ventura, who contested the second round against Seguro, received 1.7 million votes, which is equivalent to 33.17% of the ballots.
According to the National Elections Commission (CNE), voting for the second round was postponed in all six parishes of Alcácer do Sal, in the district of Setúbal, as well as in the four parishes of Arruda dos Vinhos and in the three parishes of Golegã, in the district of Santarém.
In addition to these three municipalities without any votes last Sunday, voting was also postponed in two electoral sections in Santarém, in a parish and in a section in Rio Maior, and in a parish in Cartaxo, in another in Salvaterra de Magos and in yet another in Leiria.
In total, there are eight municipalities affected by the postponement of elections. According to the CNE, 36,852 voters are registered in the 20 parishes and electoral sections in question.
In the first round of the presidential elections, on January 18, contested by 11 candidates, António José Seguro, supported by the PS, was the most voted, with 31.11% of the votes cast, followed by André Ventura, supported by Chega, who had 23.5%.
The current President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, elected in 2016, will cease office on March 9, the date on which António José Seguro will take office before the Assembly of the Republic.
