Marcelo: in an "unpredictable" world it is urgent to vote

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, appealed this Saturday to the Portuguese people to vote in this Sunday's legislative elections, especially considering that in today's “complex and unpredictable” world — marked, mainly, by the return of Donald Trump to the White House —, not voting is “being absent” and ending up, “sooner or later”, “crying over spilt milk”.

“The world of 2025 is radically different from 2024. The return to power of the current US President has, in four months, brought about enormous changes in relations with Europe, Russia and China,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in a brief message to the country from the Belém Palace, in which he said that Trump’s return also means “unpredictability in the international economy” and “greater responsibilities for us Europeans, for us Portuguese”.

“In today’s more complex and unpredictable world, not participating, not deciding, not voting makes even less sense than in other elections. It would be like burying your head in the sand, remaining indifferent to the gravity of the moment, pretending to be absent when, as we know in our daily lives, those who are absent end up, sooner or later, losing their reason, and limiting themselves, as the people say, to crying over spilt milk,” he added.

“Voting at this time is contributing to stability in the midst of an unstable world, saving long-term solutions from caretaker governments — when, constitutionally, there cannot be new elections until May 2026,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also highlighted, stressing that voting allows “the predictability without which confidence does not grow”.

“Portuguese people: 50 years after the most participated election ever, giving life to freedom, equality, solidarity, security, democracy and peace is also voting tomorrow, for the future of Portugal”, concluded Marcelo.

The country goes to the polls this Sunday in early legislative elections, after the fall of the government of Luís Montenegro (AD) in March, following the rejection of a motion of confidence.