LISBON, Portugal — Center-left Socialist António José Seguro led the first round of the Portugal presidential election Sunday and will face far-right Chega leader André Ventura in a Feb. 8 runoff after neither candidate won a majority. The vote set up a rare second round in Portugal and sharpened a choice between a traditional party figure and a candidate who has built his campaign around immigration and anti-establishment anger, Jan. 18, 2026.
With ballots counted nationwide, Seguro took 31.1% to Ventura’s 23.5%, according to real-time tallies published by RTP’s election tracker. João Cotrim de Figueiredo placed third with about 16%, while retired Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo followed with 12.3% and government-backed Luís Marques Mendes won 11.3%, as Reuters reported.
Portugal’s president has limited day-to-day executive power, but can veto legislation and, in some circumstances, dissolve parliament and call elections — tools that can matter in a closely fought Portugal presidential election runoff.
Portugal presidential election heads to Feb. 8 runoff
Ventura, a former sports TV commentator, has sought to make immigration and welfare policy the central dividing line of the Portugal presidential election, part of a broader European rise of populist parties. At rallies and in campaign advertising, he has argued the political system protects elites and newcomers at the expense of ordinary Portuguese. “Portugal is ours,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
Seguro, a former leader of the Socialist Party who returned to frontline politics for the race, urged voters to rally behind democratic norms. “With our victory, democracy has won,” he said in remarks reported by Le Monde, calling on progressives to unite against extremism.
Mainstream parties on the center-right offered no automatic path for Ventura. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro’s Social Democrats said they would not endorse either finalist, and Cotrim de Figueiredo signaled he would not back Ventura, leaving both camps focused on turnout and second-choice voters.
A presidential runoff is unusual in Portugal’s modern democratic era: only the 1986 contest required a second round. Analysts cited by Reuters have noted Ventura’s high rejection ratings among voters, a hurdle that could limit his ability to broaden beyond Chega’s core base.
How the race got here
Ventura’s advance builds on momentum that has grown steadily over several elections. In the 2021 Portugal presidential election, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won reelection outright while Ventura’s third-place finish marked a breakthrough for the then-new Chega movement, as described in a Reuters report from that vote.
Chega’s rise accelerated after the March 2024 general election, when Montenegro’s Democratic Alliance narrowly won and the far right more than quadrupled its seats, according to Reuters coverage of the results. A snap election in May 2025 again left the governing bloc short of a majority while Chega posted a record vote share, Reuters reported.
The Feb. 8 runoff will decide who succeeds Rebelo de Sousa, who is barred from a third consecutive term. With housing affordability and cost-of-living pressures dominating daily conversations, the second round of the Portugal presidential election is expected to hinge on which candidate convinces skeptical voters that the presidency can steady a turbulent political cycle.
