Runoff election in Portugal: Socialist Seguro is the brand new president | EUROtoday

In Portugal, after 20 years, a socialist turns into president once more. In the runoff election on Sunday, former PS chief António José Seguro beat right-wing populist André Ventura by a major margin. According to the post-election survey, he may obtain round two thirds of the vote. Despite the extreme storms which have been occurring for nearly two weeks, the voter turnout was comparatively excessive by Portuguese requirements. Many Portuguese have been outraged that the state had usually come to their assist late and inadequately.

For the chief of the right-wing populist Chega occasion, reaching the primary runoff election in 40 years was a political triumph. In the second spherical, Ventura can most likely improve from 22 p.c to third of the vote. In the final presidential election in 2021, it obtained 11 p.c. The Chega chairman needs to develop into head of presidency and isn’t really aiming for the extra consultant workplace of head of state.

The Portuguese voters now rallied behind the relatively colorless 63-year-old Seguro to cease the right-wing populists from advancing. Several of the 9 candidates who misplaced on January 18th additionally known as for voting for him. The former conservative head of presidency and President Aníbal Cavaco Silva additionally really useful him within the bourgeois camp.

In the primary spherical of voting, Seguro was the shock winner with 31 p.c of the vote. He and Ventura additionally managed to beat the candidate of the ruling conservative PSD, who achieved a traditionally poor end result. The Socialists, who dominated Portugal till 2022, have been initially hesitant in supporting Seguro. Nevertheless, the politician, who resigned as PS chairman in 2014 because of inner dissatisfaction, achieved a greater end result than his occasion within the 2024 and 2025 parliamentary elections. Now, after two phrases in workplace, Seguro is changing the favored and affable President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who got here from the conservative PSD.