A file photo of some Goans outside the Portuguese Consulate in London.
LONDON
Thousands of Portuguese Goans in the UK are expected to exercise their franchise on January 17 and 18, in the first round of the presidential elections in Portugal.
Portuguese nationals residing in the UK and registered to vote will be entitled to take part in the elections conducted exclusively through in-person voting, according to information from the Portuguese Consulate in London.
In the UK, facilities have been available for Portuguese nationals to cast their votes on January 17 and 18 from 8 am to 7 pm at the location where the Portuguese nationals are registered (London, Manchester, Belfast, Hamilton, Jersey or Guernsey). They may check their place of registration on the website (www.recenseamento.pt).
Voters will have to carry their valid Portuguese passport and their Portuguese Identity Card (Cartao de Cidadao) when they visit the Consulate offices to exercise their franchise.
Earlier speaking to The Goan, Antonio Mota Cunha, a senior advisor of the Council of the Portuguese Communities (CPC), estimated that about 170,000 Portuguese nationals live in the UK, of which 50% are South Asian, with Goans forming a majority in this group.
The CPC, which is the Portuguese government's advisory body for policies relating to emigration and Portuguese communities living abroad, raises issues and reduces hardships pertaining to any consulate work, while also promoting Portuguese culture, heritage and language.
There are as many as 11 candidates contesting the presidential election to succeed Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, who has served as president for two terms since 2016, and is not entitled to contest again.
If none of the candidates secures more than 50% of the votes, the two leading candidates will contest a second round of election on February 8.
The Goan Association UK (GOA UK) has offered support to Portuguese Goans casting their votes in the elections by organising a free coach service to transport voters from the areas of Hounslow, Southall, Wembley, Swindon, Leicester and Milton Keynes to the Portuguese Consulate in London to vote.
“The two 53-seater coaches are being organised by the GOA UK to encourage the community to participate in the upcoming Presidential Elections. The coach service will be available from 8 am to 5 pm on January 17 and from 8 am to 2 pm on January 18,” GOA UK President Ravi Vaz told The Goan.
“On Saturday, the first coach will be dedicated to Route 1 (Hounslow, Southall, Wembley) and take passengers to the Portuguese Consulate in London and drop them back to the pickup point.”
“They will then pick up the next batch of passengers on the return, and this will continue until the last pickup at 5 pm for final batch of passengers to London giving sufficient time to be dropped back by 7 pm.”
“The second coach will operate on Route 2 (between Milton Keyes and London) and Route 3 (between Swindon and London). There will be only one round trip for Routes 2 and 3, after which the second coach will be dedicated to route 1.”
“On Sunday, the coaches will operate on Route 1 from Hounslow, Southall, Wembley and take the passengers to the Portuguese Consulate in London and drop them back to the pickup point. They will then pick up the next batch of passengers on the return, and this will continue until the last pickup at 2 pm for final batch of passengers to London giving sufficient time to be dropped back by 4 pm.”
“Local coordinators have been assigned for the pickup location and timings,” he said.
While many are expected to avail of these coach services, other Portuguese Goans are likely to go on their own using public transport.
Vaz said the GOA UK has been active with the Goan advisory councillors of the CPC in creating awareness among the Portuguese Goans regarding their right to vote.
“This process started from last year’s summer festival, followed a meeting held on November 1, 2025. An easy guide was distributed during these meets and also on various social media platforms. GOA UK also promoted this information via its website and other social media platforms,” Vaz added.
