A prominent candidate for the general assembly presidency of Portuguese football club Benfica has voiced concerns over “imperfections” and “irregularities” in the electoral rolls, potentially disenfranchising a large segment of its membership just days before crucial elections.
Gonçalo Almeida Ribeiro, a candidate for President of the General Assembly Table (MAG) on the Noronha Lopes list and a former vice-president of Portugal’s Constitutional Court, stated that only a fraction of registered members might be eligible to vote. Benfica officials, however, have denied any irregularities exist.
Almeida Ribeiro estimates that of approximately 250,000 to 270,000 members listed on the rolls, an estimated 180,000 are actually eligible to cast ballots. He described this situation as “worrying, but not alarming.”
His assessment followed a review of the electoral roll, a digital file he estimates contains between 250,000 and 300,000 lines of data. He examined this file by sampling its content.
Specific issues identified include deceased members still appearing on the list. Others had recovered an old membership number but still appeared with their newer, higher number, leading to potential duplicates.
Members were given a 48-hour period to regularize their status or recover old numbers to ensure voting eligibility. The final count of eligible voters is expected the morning before the elections.
The concerns emerged after a meeting between José Pereira da Costa, the current MAG President, and representatives from the lists competing in Saturday’s elections. A representative from Multicert, the company supervising the elections, also attended the meeting where logistical aspects like vote transport were discussed.
Almeida Ribeiro spoke to journalists outside the club’s stadium, emphasizing his hope for elections that are “as clean and correct as possible.” He conceded that minor irregularities occur in all elections.
However, he cautioned that a cumulative pattern of small irregularities could “subvert the integrity of the electoral act.” Such a scenario would be a “tragedy for Benfica” during a “historic moment of such division.”
His list plans to deploy delegates at all polling stations, calling it an “unprecedented logistical operation.” Almeida Ribeiro suggested that if significant irregularities are confirmed, he might challenge the election results after the vote.
He expressed confidence in the General Assembly Table’s commitment to ensuring fair elections, stating that this is “indispensable for Benfica to have institutional peace.” Almeida Ribeiro pledged that, if elected, he would strive to make Benfica an “exemplary club” in its democratic procedures.
To ensure voting integrity, Almeida Ribeiro cited a method where a member’s number and civil identification number are announced aloud when they vote. This ensures the person presenting the membership card is the identified individual.