PSD supporters of Carlos Moedas started celebrating a possible ‘tie’ between their candidate for mayor of Lisbon and PS incumbent Fernando Medina at 9pm this evening.
Exit polls showed the key municipality of Lisbon ‘too close to call’ : Fernando Medina was projected to have between 31% – 36.3% of votes, while his main adversary Carlos Moedas was right on his heels with 30.2% – 35.2%.
There is still a long way to go – and one has to remember that João Ferreira (CDU) and Bloco de Esquerda have pledged ‘support of Fernando Medina’ since the outset. In other words, if the capital stays ‘too close to call’, Mr Medina could ostensibly team-up with them, and still win.
The issue is that Lisbon, for PS Socialists, shouldn’t have been this hard to take.
Other key exit polls include Porto – which seems to have been comfortably retaken by current mayor Rui Moreira, standing as an independent, and Coimbra, which looks tipped to fall to the PSD whose candidate José Manuel Silva is a former president of the General Medical Council.
Almada* and Funchal (Madeira) are the next ‘big results’ eagerly anticipated in a night that promises to be ‘long’.
Updates to come.
For those who don’t know the ‘current position’, PS Socialists emerged the winners in 2017s municipal elections, taking 160 town halls (more than half the 308 available). The PSD suffered major losses (retaining just 98 town halls), ditto the CDU (24 municipalities), while the CDS took just six councils and Independents held 17.
*Almada has been ‘retained’ by PS Socialists, but Funchal has been taken by the PSD.
As for the Algarve, results are already coming through:
Castro Marim returns PSD mayor Francisco Amaral, with 56.18% of the votes. PS Socialists in 2nd place with 31.32%.
Vila do Bispo saw citizens’ movement Somos Pelo Concelho Vila do Bispo (SPCVB) appear to trounce PS Socialists in an incredibly tight race but at the final hour the PS vote rallied to see PS ahead (33.07%), with SPCVB on 31.81%. Rita Silva thus returns as mayor, but has lost the PS majority. In fact the PSD coalition (which came in 3rd place) effectively holds control as the executive is made up of two PS councillors, two SPCVB and 1 PSD.
Alcoutim continues with PS Socialists (55.07%), with PSD coming 2nd. Osvaldo Gonçalves re-elected as mayor.
Loulé continues with PS Socialists (55.54%).
Monchique has been won by the PS after 12 years under PSD mayor Rui André. The new mayor is Paulo Alves.
Tavira has voted back PS Socialists (43.71%) in an incredibly tight race with PSD which polled 42.69%. Ana Paula Martins is the new mayor.
Lagos has voted back PS Socialists (56.63%). PSD limped in in 2nd place with just over 10% of the votes.
Albufeira – results changed all through the night, with first PSD in the lead, then PS. By early Monday morning, the winners were declared: PSD coalition 32.04% (translating into 3 councillors), PS with 25.67% (2 councillors) and smaller citizens parties, each with one councillor each, holding power of decision.
Faro sees PSD mayor Rogério Bacalhau return in coalition with CDS-PP/ Iniciativa Liberal/ MPT/PPM, polling 47.56% of the vote. PS some way behind on 27.65%.
Lagoa sees PS Socialists wipe the floor with contenders, taking 54.47% of the votes.
São Brás de Alportel continues with PS (58.56%). Vítor Guerreiro to continue as mayor.
Silves remains the Algarve’s only PCP-PEV (Communist) municipality, with 59.38% of votes polled, and Rosa Palma remaining as mayor.
Olhão returns PS Socialists (50.18%)… Vila Real de Santo António sees a ‘win’ by PS Socialists but no clear majority, and finally Aljezur has also a returned the PS, but only just. Citizens coalition Renascer came in on the Socialists’ heels (PS: 45.61%, Renascer: 41.63%) meaning there will be a 3-2 mix on the council: 3 PS councillors, 2 Renascer.
Still missing at nearly midnight are results for Portimão, where PS mayor Isilda Gomes will be hoping to be returned*.
Nationally as Sunday fades into Monday, PS Socialists so far have 97 municipalities to the PSD’s 50.
A lot more will change by tomorrow.
*Update Monday morning: PS retains hold on Portimão with 39.88% of vote.
Final results for Algarve see PS now in technical control of 12 of the region’s 16 boroughs, but not always with an ‘absolute majority’. Chega has ‘won’ two councillor positions, in Portimão and Loulé.
