This is the kind of comparison I would like to see in the States. Especially for local elections. I rarely know anything about the people I am voting for.
Very late to this post as well, but Carlos and I did manage to sit down with a group of 4-5 Portuguese friends (all in their very early thirties or very late twenties) to get their comments on the day before the elections. The comments that stuck to me the most were:
1) They were very much against Gouveia e Melo exactly because of the navy background. In their words, he felt "too Salazar-like" because of his career, regardless of whether he'd been retired for a while or not. Interestingly enough, this was the candidate that my driving instructor (69 y.o.) liked the most. Or the only one he liked. In his own words, Gouveia e Melo was "the only one with some discipline and that can fix this ___ country", where ___ marks some expletives. But you get the gist.
2) They actively didn't think that André Ventura even wanted to win the presidency, and thought he was doing this more to garner atttention than from having any real interest in becoming president. From their point of view, Ventura's political career's point is to make more noise, and for that he's way more powerful in the Assembly/elsewhere than in the Presidency.
3) The remaining focus was on who had principles and who didn't really express opinions and positions in the different debates that went on. One (no idea who it was but someone) was called (by several people) a 'palhacinho'; a puppet for the party. Another two were called completely unprincipled due to not having expressed firm opinions when asked direct questions in the debate.
Overall, it was a very interesting conversation. Had not expected them to have seen so many of the debates.
Regarding 1) Gouveia e Melo's campaign was definitely targeting older voters. I wonder what it is that your driving instructor feels needs to be fixed. Is Portugal leaning too far to the right? Are the immigrants running amok? I love broad, general statements because they sound impressive without tying you down. 😂
2) Yeah, Ventura said a while ago that he wants to be Prime Minister. His party is pretty much a one-man show, though, and it's unlikely that anyone else supported by Chega would have made as much noise. I almost feel like he ran because he couldn't find anyone else to run instead.
3) I'm betting the 'palhacinho' is Marques Mendes. And I suspect Gouveia e Melo would be one of those 'unprincipled' candidates. Wouldn't surprise me if Cotrim was the other.
It sounds really interesting for sure! And those televised debates are quite the thing. The most-watched debate was between Gouveia e Melo and Ventura. More than 11% of the number of eligible voters tuned in. Which would be the equivalent of about 15 million Mexicans or 39 million Americans. That's a lot of people. Which is great!
Great and very accurate explanation! Thank you! I am Portuguese and I am so proud: at 23h20, knowing that the polling places closed at 19h (in the Azores one hour later) we have complete final results. A mere four hours later.
No fuss, no problems, no foul play with the voting process. All is calm and ran smoothly (as usual). Winners and losers. Speeches, cheerings, promises. Surprises, joy and sadness (disguised as fair play), and a run-off on the 8th February.
Well done! Thanks for this.
You're welcome. Thanks for reading.
This is the kind of comparison I would like to see in the States. Especially for local elections. I rarely know anything about the people I am voting for.
Love you both. ❤️
Very late to this post as well, but Carlos and I did manage to sit down with a group of 4-5 Portuguese friends (all in their very early thirties or very late twenties) to get their comments on the day before the elections. The comments that stuck to me the most were:
1) They were very much against Gouveia e Melo exactly because of the navy background. In their words, he felt "too Salazar-like" because of his career, regardless of whether he'd been retired for a while or not. Interestingly enough, this was the candidate that my driving instructor (69 y.o.) liked the most. Or the only one he liked. In his own words, Gouveia e Melo was "the only one with some discipline and that can fix this ___ country", where ___ marks some expletives. But you get the gist.
2) They actively didn't think that André Ventura even wanted to win the presidency, and thought he was doing this more to garner atttention than from having any real interest in becoming president. From their point of view, Ventura's political career's point is to make more noise, and for that he's way more powerful in the Assembly/elsewhere than in the Presidency.
3) The remaining focus was on who had principles and who didn't really express opinions and positions in the different debates that went on. One (no idea who it was but someone) was called (by several people) a 'palhacinho'; a puppet for the party. Another two were called completely unprincipled due to not having expressed firm opinions when asked direct questions in the debate.
Overall, it was a very interesting conversation. Had not expected them to have seen so many of the debates.
Wow, fascinating! Thanks, Gise!
Regarding 1) Gouveia e Melo's campaign was definitely targeting older voters. I wonder what it is that your driving instructor feels needs to be fixed. Is Portugal leaning too far to the right? Are the immigrants running amok? I love broad, general statements because they sound impressive without tying you down. 😂
2) Yeah, Ventura said a while ago that he wants to be Prime Minister. His party is pretty much a one-man show, though, and it's unlikely that anyone else supported by Chega would have made as much noise. I almost feel like he ran because he couldn't find anyone else to run instead.
3) I'm betting the 'palhacinho' is Marques Mendes. And I suspect Gouveia e Melo would be one of those 'unprincipled' candidates. Wouldn't surprise me if Cotrim was the other.
It sounds really interesting for sure! And those televised debates are quite the thing. The most-watched debate was between Gouveia e Melo and Ventura. More than 11% of the number of eligible voters tuned in. Which would be the equivalent of about 15 million Mexicans or 39 million Americans. That's a lot of people. Which is great!
Great and very accurate explanation! Thank you! I am Portuguese and I am so proud: at 23h20, knowing that the polling places closed at 19h (in the Azores one hour later) we have complete final results. A mere four hours later.
No fuss, no problems, no foul play with the voting process. All is calm and ran smoothly (as usual). Winners and losers. Speeches, cheerings, promises. Surprises, joy and sadness (disguised as fair play), and a run-off on the 8th February.
Go Portugal! Lots of other places should be aspiring to what happens in the voting process here.
Thanks for reading and for the comment.
Thank you for this! Unfortunately, I can't vote here. At least not until I become a citizen.
Great and helpful summary. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome. Thanks for reading, Lani!