Portuguese election: recasting of ballots
Portugal's Constitutional Court has ruled that Portuguese living in other European countries must recast their votes because 150,000 ballots have been declared invalid. Although the victory of the Socialists in the parliamentary election is not in question, the swearing-in of the new government will now be delayed. The national press is annoyed.
Politicians have lost their credibility
Público fears:
“The inauguration of the MPs and the government will be delayed, the old government will be in office for at least another month in a caretaker capacity, and we’ll have to wait for strategic decisions. And all this because of a problem that the parties were apparently not able to foresee or solve and to which they actively contributed. This justifies all the criticism. ... In addition to the price of being paralysed at a critical moment for our future, there is another high price: the credibility of the political class, which is more urgently needed than ever in the midst of a trend towards populism and radicalisation.”
Hopefully the incompetence won't deter voters
Expresso stresses the positive aspect that so many expatriate Portuguese made the effort to vote in the election:
“Almost half a million Portuguese who have emigrated in search of a career or a better life proved that even though they have left the country they have not given up on it. ... After so much incompetence put more than 150,000 of their votes in the wastepaper basket, we will see if they have the patience to vote again. And we will see if, after the usual apologies, all those responsible truly assume responsibility. In any case, no blame lies with the voters, who are the victims in this affair, or with the judges of the Constitutional Court, who made this extremely difficult decision.”