Portugal’s European elections will be tested by abstention and EU ignorance

As the European elections approach on June 9th, all eyes are on Portugal to see if the country will break its trend of low voter turnout. In the 2019 European elections, Portugal recorded its highest abstention rate of 68.6 percent since joining the European Union, a stark contrast to the approximately 50 percent turnout across Europe.

However, there is optimism that this trend may change in the upcoming elections, following the recent legislative elections in March which saw a turnout of 59.84 percent. Francisco Cordeiro de Araújo, a guest assistant at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, believes that there is a growing sense of responsibility among European institutions to communicate the benefits of the EU to Portuguese citizens.

Despite this, a study by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation’s European Policy Barometer revealed that less than half of Portuguese citizens can name a Portuguese MEP or the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. This lack of knowledge about the EU may contribute to abstention from voting.

In the lead-up to the European elections, Portuguese young people, along with Romanians, are showing high levels of voting intentions. The Eurobarometer on Youth and Democracy estimates that 77 percent of Portuguese individuals aged 18 to 30 plan to vote to elect the 21 Portuguese MEPs in the European Parliament.

With right-wing parties expected to gain from the elections, there is a sense of anticipation and uncertainty surrounding the outcome. The latest poll by Catholic University for RTP, Antena 1, and Público newspaper shows a statistical tie between the Democratic Alliance and the Socialist Party, with the right-wing Chega party emerging as a significant political force. As Portugal prepares to elect its representatives in the European Parliament, the political landscape is poised for change.