Emigrants looking for holidays in Portugal prevented
There are 1.5 million alternative elected, but not elected not strangers, some not voted can vote in the local elections of the elected territories in advance in the chosen spaces or to vote the ballot paper by way. postcard. Paulo Costa, president of the civic association We Are Portuguese, tells TSF that the solution involves the implementation of permanent mobility voting.
“There are some technical issues that we have been contesting with the Ministry of Internal Administration, but I believe it would be possible to overcome them [e implementar o voto em mobilidade permanente]. Let’s insist that it is possible. What we want is that there is no one who authorizes it for technical or administrative reasons. And these are technical or administrative that have to be resolved”, he summarizes.
The National Elections Commission received, until the public this week, about ten communications from residents abroad who, on several occasions, are present in Portugal, and want them to find the same presence in Portugal, although they are places where they are located abroad . Although the association is not significant for similar data, we are also nationals that can be considered as data from Portuguese citizens in these circumstances. In these cases, there is no solution, because early voting in national territory is not allowed when the person elected is registered abroad.
The cases of emigrants prevented from devout range from Asia to Europe. Many weeks of vacation to Portugal and New Year’s and now they don’t have enough time to go to the polls, either because there are no air connections – as in the case of Macau, where all international flights were canceled for two -, because, due to pandemic, extend like vacations and have taken place in telework displaced in the European country, or even for health reasons that have nothing to do with Covid-19.
This is the case of Rita Meneses, who, since moving to Italy in 2016, has only voted once. The Scientific Project Management Committee for the visit to Portugal came during the visit to Portugal and, following the medical advice, postponed the project to Pisa until after the investigations. Being registered in Italy, and having the citizen card in Portugal, no one will be able to pick up your ballot paper at the post office. In practice, it is prevented from being devout.
Although we accept the arguments that the vote is secret and that the personal is treated, the solution, defend Ritos Meneses, our health data are also safe and security mechanisms to ensure that they are (…) do you vote with the voting system?”, he asks.
“There are already examples in Europe that have gone well. It is a matter of willingness on the part of the Government to implement this system, which would not only apply to those who are abroad”, he justifies.
Digital voting is an ancient one of the Portuguese communities. From Macau, councilor Gilberto Camacho considers that “the system of voting by pen and paper” belongs “to the last century and is completely outdated”.
“Still because of this floor with a pandemic two or three years ago with the authorities asking for the mandatory global substitute for the population. (…) For this floor we have the vote in force in force”, he adds.
The Portuguese Consulate in Macau and Hong Kong indicated to the TSF having received only one request for consultation on the vote of those who are prevented from returning to the territory where they are registered.
Despite the constraints of not having a digital vote, Paulo Costa, president of the civic association Also Somos Portugueses, considers that “globally, there will be more people voting [no estrangeiro] this year”, highlighting the added value of being able to follow connected the location of the registered letter to find out where the ballot paper is.
“Two years ago there were many problems with envelopes, with postage paid, and with electronic machines sending the envelope back to the sender. These issues have been overcome. The problems are now partly due to the pandemic, like the one in Macau We have some people who are isolated and also because some couriers have few to work.
