In the last national elections, 673,206 votes cast for valid parties, did not count. The Hondt Method says each vote will only count if that party elected an MP (Member of Parliament), in that constituency.
Votes are not worth the same. Lisbon elects as many MPs as the sum of the districts of Portalegre, Évora, Beja, Setúbal and Faro, half of the Portuguese territory.
The district of Portalegre elected 1 MP with 52,962 votes, while Lisbon elects one MP with 37,705 votes. The voter in Portalegre is not worth the same as one in Lisbon, Porto or Braga.
Party oligarchies are more valued than regional interests. They place known people in the party at the head of the list in districts, especially in those that elect a smaller number of deputies, to guarantee their election. People who come to those districts once a year, for holidays or only for election campaigning.
Too many focus on the PM, but voters elect their representatives in parliament. The most voted party does not have to have most of PMs. If Portugal used the Hondt Method in a single national constituency (as for the EU), PS would have 91 MPs, instead of the 108 that they got; PSD would have 70 instead of 79; BE 24 instead of 19; CHEGA and IL would triple their representation. The national group could get 9 seats.
In recent elections NABO won with some 5,423,4 or 58%! 39,9 thousand Null votes, 5,081,0 Abstentions, 46,9 Blank, and 255,0 Others (nanoparties). Out of 230 seats in Parliament, 133 should stay empty. Less costs!
The electoral system inflates the representation of large parties and prevents small parties to enter the parliament. This defrauds the expectations of those who vote with the conviction that all are equal. It is a fraud between the voters' free choice and the final result of the election.
For many years a couple of politicians have been suggesting a blend of district and national constituency, to correct this problem.
