PANAJI
As Portugal heads to the polls on May 18 -- its third general election in just over three years -- Portuguese nationals residing in Goa, including Goans holding Portuguese nationality will be able to cast their votes at the Consulate General of Portugal in Panaji.
The consulate, on its website, has announced that in-person voting will be conducted over two days, May 17 and 18, but only for those who are registered with election commission and are specifically authorized to vote in this manner.
“On May 17, voting will take place from 8 am to 7 pm local time. On May 18, voting will be open from 8 am until the close of polling in national territory at 8 pm. Lisbon time, but not later than 7 pm local time,” the Consulate website stated.
As per the Portuguese system, registration on the electoral roll is automatic based on the information on the citizen card (cartao de cidadao), however, national citizens residing abroad may, cancel their registration. So any Portuguese citizen resident abroad automatically becomes a voter on obtaining a citizen card and is eligible to vote in the May 18 elections.
Voters resident abroad are also permitted to vote via postal ballots and sources say that many have received the ballots.
Aires Rodrigues who opted for Portuguese nationality wrote on his website that he would cast his vote in Lisbon.
“In the May 18 General elections, the Portuguese nationals in Goa will be casting their votes at the Consulate at Altinho in Panaji. I could have exercised my franchise at the Embassy in London. However, I decided to be in Portugal for a few days to witness the political discourse and cast my vote in Lisbon on May 18,” he said.
The election follows the collapse of Prime Minister LuÃs Montenegro’s center-right government on March 11, less than a year after taking office. The administration, a fragile coalition, was brought down amid allegations of conflict of interest related to government contract awards.
This latest political crisis comes on the heels of another scandal in November 2023, when then-Prime Minister António Costa resigned following a corruption investigation that implicated his chief of staff. Costa, whose family traces its roots to Goa, had led the Socialist government for nearly a decade.
In Goa, which has longstanding ties to Portugal, voter turnout at the consulate is expected to be steady. Though The Goan reached out to the consulate seeking details, the exact number of eligible voters is not public, but Portuguese officials have routinely facilitated voting procedures for the diaspora.
