Moderate socialist Antonio José Seguro emerged as the frontrunner in the first round of Portugal's presidential election on Sunday, ahead of far-right leader André Ventura, and the two will face off in a second round on February 8, Reuters reports.
In the five decades since Portugal overthrew a fascist dictatorship, presidential elections have only once before – in 1986 – required a second round, showing how fragmented the political landscape has become with the rise of the far right and growing voter disillusionment with the mainstream parties.
The presidency in Portugal is largely ceremonial, but it has some key powers, including, in certain circumstances, dissolving parliament, calling early parliamentary elections, and vetoing laws.
With all votes counted in Portugal, Seguro won 31,1 percent of the vote. Ventura won 23,5 percent.
João Cotrim de Figueiredo from the right-wing, pro-business Liberal Initiative took third place among a total of 11 candidates, with about 16 percent of the vote.
Ventura tries to unite the right
Last May, the anti-establishment and anti-immigrant Chega party, founded just over seven years ago, became the main opposition force after parliamentary elections, winning 22,8 percent of the vote. As in much of Europe, the rise of the far right has influenced government policies, particularly on immigration, which have become more restrictive, Reuters reports.
However, all recent opinion polls show Ventura losing in the second round due to a high rejection rate – more than 60 percent of voters. Analysts often describe Šega as Ventura's "one-man show", which is confirmed by the fact that Ventura is running for president despite repeatedly stating that he wants to be prime minister.
Still, Ventura sounded combative as he left a Catholic mass he had attended in central Lisbon:
"Now we need to unite the entire right wing... I will fight day by day, minute by minute, second by second, so that there is no socialist president. We will win," he said.
"The country has woken up after these 40 years without a second round," he later told supporters.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said his center-right Social Democrats, whose candidate Luis Marques Mendes finished fifth with 11,3 percent, would not support any candidate in the second round. Cotrim de Figueiredo said he did not want Ventura for president.
In a recent analysis, the Economist Intelligence Unit said a Seguro-Ventura duel would be "simpler, given Ventura's limited appeal outside his home base," Reuters reported.
“Although the presidency is largely symbolic, Ventura is the only candidate signaling a more interventionist approach, but the EIU believes this is unlikely to lead to victory,” the report said.
Other candidates included retired admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who led the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign, with 12,3 percent of the vote, as well as comedian Manuel João Vieira, who won just over 1 percent of the vote, according to partial results, promising a Ferrari sports car for every Portuguese person and tap wine in every home.
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