The polls have been confirmed. António José Seguro has won the runoff election for President of the Republic in Portugal by a landslide. The 63-year-old socialist and former minister under then prime minister and current UN Secretary General António Guterres won 66.8 percent of the vote against the head of the right-wing extremist Chega (Enough), Andrés Ventura. Ventura came in at 33.2 percent.
Seguro is replacing conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who was unable to run again after two five-year terms. In the first round three weeks ago Seguro was surprisingly in first place with 31 percent, Ventura was in second place with 23.5 percent. All of the other nine candidates were far behind. It was the first time in 40 years that a second round was necessary to fill the office of head of state. The by-elections in the villages in which the by-elections will also be based on this more than clear result Flood disaster The polling stations remained closed, nothing will change next Sunday.
With Seguro’s victory, Portugal has a progressive head of state for the first time in 20 years. The economist Seguro, who withdrew from politics for years, belongs to the right wing of the Socialist Party. During the election campaign, he promised to “protect democracy and the republic” that emerged from the Carnation Revolution against the Salazar dictatorship in 1974. He asked for the votes of “all Democrats, all progressives and all humanists” and was successful.
Communists, Left Bloc and Socialists, as well as well-known conservatives – including Luis Marques Medes, candidate in the first round, and former President Aníbal Cavaco Silva – called for Seguros to be elected. “I am thrilled by the commitment of the Portuguese people to constitutional values,” said Seguro on election night. “The winners tonight are the Portuguese people and democracy,” said the election winner, promising to be a head of state for “all Portuguese.”
“My freedom is the guarantee of my independence”
At the beginning of the election campaign, no one expected Seguro. He entered the race without the support of his Socialist Party (PS). He had withdrawn from politics in the dispute after being Secretary General of the PS from 2011 to 2014, before losing this post to the later head of government (2015-2024) and current President of the European Council, António Costa. Everyone knows this story and that’s exactly what brought Seguro sympathy. “I am free, I live without constraints. My freedom is the guarantee of my independence,” he asserted.
Opposing candidate Ventura, who campaigned with hate speech against migrants, Sinti and Roma and other minorities, glorified the Salazar dictatorship and promised to “change the republic from within”, had to admit defeat, but was still satisfied. Chega, who has only been in parliament since 2019, has never been able to garner as many votes as she has now in the presidential elections. “We lead the right in Portugal and will soon rule this country,” the 43-year-old former sports commentator shouted to his supporters, even though he had just failed in this claim.
Ventura nevertheless holds an important position in Portuguese politics. His Chega was tied with the Socialists in the last parliamentary elections. And one person did not support the firewall against Ventura and his Chega – the conservative Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. He made no election recommendation. The Prime Minister governs Portugal in a minority and is supported by the Chega. He is increasingly taking over right-wing extremist agenda items, for example on immigration. Seguro, who as president has the right to reject laws and refer them to the Constitutional Court, will from now on oversee the politics of Montenegro and Ventura.