A crucial Sunday for the future of Portugal

My experience of the weekend, although not my first, is very important. And what happened that I consider important, even though it wasn't my first time? Well, today, in Portugal, the Assembly of the Republic elections took place. Today, the Portuguese people voted on the other members of parliament and, of course, the head of government, the Prime Minister of Portugal.

At this very moment, I'm hearing on the news that the elections went smoothly and that, contrary to previous trends, abstention was one of the lowest for twenty years.

We've been living in a democracy since 1975, but in these almost 50 years of full freedom of choice, this general election has had a significant and important relevance for me. First of all, because of the economic stagnation that our country is experiencing, as well as policies that are certainly not leaving the Portuguese with more money at the end of the month. I'm talking about an important social group, the middle class, which is overburdened with taxes and is not seeing a significant increase in its quality of life. On the contrary, there has been a deterioration in various public services, such as schools and public health, which have tended to be transformed into public service providers only, not allowing for the opening up to private individuals and charities, such as the Misericórdias.

I feel that today we have all been invited to exercise a right that we have earned, and that we must honor by responding to the call. Not voting has never been an option for me, ever since I came of age. On only one occasion, and that was during the municipal elections, when I arrived at the polling station 10 minutes after it had closed, I always made a point of giving my opinion. I'm not satisfied with the idea that everyone is given the opportunity to express their opinion and we don't do it, and then we have to regret who represents us.

As you can see, it was a sunny, albeit chilly, day, but a few minutes later a huge downpour hit, causing me to drive my car to the polling station. In my case, it's the elementary school in my area, which was my first school! So many good memories came flooding back. Although today the school has been completely refurbished (the playground and classrooms), it still brings back so many good memories. After casting my vote, I went for a short walk and had breakfast at a regular place... It was a very different weekend from all the others. At least in my little country.

I know that tonight is the magic night of the Oscars! Which of you are planning to go along?

For the government of my country, who will take the seats of the Assembly of the Republic... A question that I hope will contribute to the good of our country and the prosperity of Portugal!

^{The first rays of sunshine as soon as I pulled up the blinds in my room... it was 8:10 in the morning!}

^{After brushing my teeth, I went to the kitchen to make the first hot tea of the day... and lo and behold, the weather was really inviting to walk to the voting center}

^{The kettle wasn't even boiling yet, and the unstable weather was already giving free rein to its amplitude!!! Impressive! Believe me, it rained a lot, and for long minutes}

^{I decided to go by car, even though it's less than a kilometer away, because then I'd have to drive anyway to a sports ground that's a long way away}

^{I was completely absorbed by the memories that this small soccer field, which I walked on during breaks in my school days
more than 40 years ago, gave me}

^{Let's say I was a kid who weighed well over my height, and the place where I spent my playtime was in this or the other goal,
or on the bench...}

^{In 1984 all these protections didn't exist, and the pitch was made of tarmac, which with a few cracks always left those who wanted to take a closer look with marks to take home}

^{Seeing this little Epiphyte made me want to try and get one for my house. It's amazing how nature can adapt and always come up with creative solutions to the "problems" it is faced with... Will we also be able to react creatively to what we have today?}

^{A ballot paper in Braille, for those with impaired vision to consult}

^{The appointment to my polling station}

^{The entrance to the room where the polling station was located. At this time of day, it was completely empty, and
I was the only one to arrive and vote}

^{The ballot paper. As you can see, there couldn't have been anyone who didn't think they were represented. Eighteen political options, each with its own program. Some more ideological, others more pragmatic, but all with the will to make a difference... Even the list of the Socialist Party, currently in office and which has governed for the last eight years with an absolute majority... Do they really want to change? A question that has always had one answer for me: "I don't think so..."}

^{On the way out, after voting, I still passed by the outdoor park, and managed to see some more furniture
that didn't exist in my day, as you can imagine}

^{I already mentioned that the weather was really schizophrenic in Lisbon, didn't I? Here's the sun again! But with the colder weather, and despite the thermometers reading 16ºC, the thermal sensation was much lower, perhaps because of the humidity in the air}

^{Minutes after that beautiful sunrise, some shy clouds gathered in front of me... and it looked like more rain was on the way}

^{At the end of the day we will know who will occupy the seats in the Assembly of the Republic. I hope that the government will be elected and that there will be the political stability necessary for our country to prosper, with lower taxes and more public investment, and that it will be able to attract more private investment}

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Photographic edition with PhotoScape X