Marcelo's Final Plea: Your Vote Tomorrow Determines Billions in EU Funds That Will Never Return

President's Urgent Call to Vote in Local Elections

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa made a passionate appeal for citizens to vote in Sunday's local elections, delivering a powerful message recorded at the Belém Palace. He emphasized that the country is experiencing an "unrepeatable moment" where the newly elected local officials will be crucial for the proper use of Brussels money.

Billions at Stake in "Irreversible" Decision

"The next four years are decisive for the use of funds from Brussels and the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR)," declared the President. "We have another 13 billion euros from the PRR to distribute, and a significant portion of these resources passes through local power. Voting tomorrow isn't just about choosing those we know best—it's voting to ensure they apply millions that will never return."

Marcelo stressed that not voting means renouncing intervention in solving concrete problems like schools, security, and healthcare. "In this year of 2025, not voting means renouncing a unique opportunity to benefit from an unrepeatable financial situation."

Local Government as National Foundation

Drawing from his own experience as a local official for 19 years, the President described a country "without strong local power" as "a building without foundations, a tree without roots." He concluded with an insistent appeal: "I direct this urgent call—vote for yourselves, for your families, for your communities, for the future."

Historical Parallel to 1976 Elections

In his message, Marcelo compared the current political moment—with legislative and local elections occurring in the same year—to 1976, when Portugal held its first democratic local elections.

Final Presidential Voting Appeal

Earlier on Saturday, the President had hinted at "one or two additional reasons" for people to vote in Sunday's local elections, noting this would be his final voting appeal message as President. His term ends in March when the next President takes office.

"I will have to make a message, which I will do with democratic pleasure, and it will be my last voting appeal message throughout two terms," he told journalists during the Arraiolos Group meeting, which coincided with the final day of election campaigning in Portugal.

Campaign Concludes with Massive Participation

The official campaign for local elections ended on Friday for over 800 citizen groups and political forces, who submitted approximately 12,860 candidate lists for municipalities across the country, according to provisional data from the National Election Commission (CNE).