Opinion: Portugal’s presidential election in the time of pandemic – by Len Port

A surge in Covid-19 to file ranges in Portugal has already affected Sunday’s presidential election.

Due to the strict lockdown measures all through the nation, and since there aren’t any postal or digital strategies of voting in place, particular preparations had been made for aged residents in quarantine and in care properties to forged their ballots effectively forward of time. 

Most of the greater than 10 million registered voters will use the traditional polling-booth system on Sunday, however the whole turnout is sort of sure to be exceptionally low. 

Incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and his six rival candidates have been pissed off of their campaigning by not having the ability to get out and about to fulfill residents. 

De Sousa is anticipated to comfortably win a second time period in workplace. That is regardless of harsh criticism from opponents for his cooperation with the minority socialist authorities within the dealing with of the Covid disaster.    

President de Sousa, 72, received his first five-year time period in March 2016. He’s a veteran of the the right-of-centre Portuguese Social Democratic Occasion (PSD), a former professor and a preferred media pundit. 

Whereas the position of the president is basically ceremonial, he has robust powers in occasions of political disaster. To date, he has labored effectively with the centre-left Socialist prime minister, António Costa, who leads a minority authorities wanting for assist. 

Second place within the president election is more likely to go to both Ana Gomes of the centre-left or André Ventura of the onerous proper. Ventura is especially controversial as he’s the strongest consultant of the onerous proper because the toppling of Portugal’s dictatorship within the 1974 revolution.  

The day by day statistics for individuals affected by the Covid-19 pandemic have surged since Christmas. They’re anticipated to rise additional within the instant future.

Final Wednesday, greater than 14,600 new Covid infections set a nationwide file and one of many highest surges on the planet. Covid deaths had been had been being recorded on common each seven minutes. 

The well being authorities confirmed that there have been about 3,600 extra circumstances on Wednesday than the earlier day by day file set a couple of days earlier. 

The variety of COVID’19 sufferers in hospital and in intensive care has additionally soared to file heights and pushed medical amenities to their limits. 

The navy are collaborating with private and non-private hospitals to assist meet the unprecedented wants. 

The present tight restrictions, that are clearly creating nice social and financial hardships, will proceed not less than till Saturday 30th January. A evaluation could prolong them additional.  

An EU digital summit assembly on Thursday highlighted disagreement on plans to limit cross-border journey. Some member states desire a whole ban. 

Portugal has now banned all flights with the UK, particularly within the mild of variants of the coronavirus.

Severe considerations had been expressed throughout the summit assembly over the comparatively gradual rollout of virus vaccines throughout Europe.

By 17^th January, greater than 662,000 deaths because of the pandemic had been recorded throughout Europe. 

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Len Port is a journalist and creator. Born in Northern Eire, his first written items had been printed whereas he was working within the Pure Historical past Museum, London. Since then he has labored as a information reporter, primarily in Hong Kong, Northern Eire, South Africa and Portugal. Along with reporting onerous information for a few of the world’s main information organizations, he has produced numerous function articles on all types of topics for a spread of publications. Now dwelling in southern Portugal, his books embrace journey guides and youngsters’s tales. His ebooks – Individuals in a PlaceApart and The Fátima Phenomenon – Divine Grace, Delusion or Pious Fraud? can be found from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. His weblog posts may be seen at algarvenewswatch.blogspot.com