António José Seguro, a former leader of Portugal’s Socialist Party, won the presidential election on Sunday with broad support, defeating nationalist candidate André Ventura in a landslide victory. The outcome signals a clear preference for moderate leadership in the country.
Despite the decisive win for Seguro, reports indicate that Ventura’s strong showing in the second round demonstrates that Portugal is not immune to the growing wave of far-right sentiment across Europe.
Portugal, once considered a stronghold against hardline nationalism, is now experiencing a surge in populist movements, according to observers.
Seguro’s “expressive” victory was highlighted by multiple news outlets, though it was noted that Ventura still secured a record percentage of the vote.
According to Libération, the Socialist candidate “defeated his opponent by a wide margin.” Still, the publication added that the victory “cannot mask either the rise of the far-right or the social divisions that cross the country.”
Le Monde identified Ventura as a candidate of the “far-right” and noted that the newly elected president secured the support of numerous political figures from the far-left, center, and even the right, but not from Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
Politico reported that Seguro, who won the first round on January 18, “became a safe choice to counter the Chega candidate,” whom they described as “anti-Roma, anti-immigrant and anti-system.”
Seguro succeeds Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. With 20 parishes postponing voting due to inclement weather and seven consulates yet to report, Seguro has received 3,482,481 votes (66.82%), while Ventura has 1,729,381 (33.18%).
Seguro surpassed Mário Soares and is now the president with the most votes in history.
Despite the loss, Ventura emphasized that he received more votes than the Democratic Alliance in the legislative elections.
