Center-left Socialist candidate wins over populist in Portugal’s presidential runoff : NPR

Center-left socialist candidate António José Seguro celebrates after defeating far-right populist André Ventura in the second round of the Portuguese presidential election in Lisbon, Sunday, February 8, 2026.

Ana Brigida/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Ana Brigida/AP

LISBON, Portugal — Center-left socialist candidate António José Seguro recorded a landslide victory over far-right populist André Ventura in Portugal’s presidential election runoff on Sunday, official results showed with 99% of votes counted.

Seguro won a five-year term in Lisbon’s “pink palace” with 66.7% of the vote, compared to Ventura’s 33.3%.

The poll was an opportunity to test the extent of support for Ventura’s brash style, which struck a chord with voters and helped make his Chega (Enough) party the second largest party in the Portuguese parliament, as well as to gauge public appetite for Europe’s growing shift to the right in recent years.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Seguro and said on social media that “Portugal’s voice for our common European values ​​remains strong.”

Seguro, a longtime socialist politician, has positioned himself as a moderate candidate who will cooperate with Portugal’s center-right minority government, rejecting Ventura’s anti-establishment and anti-immigrant tirades.

He has won support from other mainstream politicians on the left and right who want to stem the rising populist tide.

In Portugal, the president is largely a figurehead with no executive power. Traditionally, the head of state stands above the political fray, arbitrates disputes and defuses tensions.

However, the president is an influential voice and has powerful tools, being able to veto legislation in Parliament, although this veto can be overridden. The head of state also possesses what is called in Portuguese political jargon an “atomic bomb”, the power to dissolve Parliament and call early elections.

In May, Portugal held its third general election in three years, amid the worst period of political instability the country has seen in decades, and steadying the ship poses a major challenge for the next president.

Presidential candidate Andre Ventura, of the populist Chega party, votes during the Portuguese presidential election in Lisbon, Sunday, February 8, 2026.

Ana Brigida/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Ana Brigida/AP

Ventura, an eloquent and theatrical politician, rejected political accommodation in favor of a more combative stance.

Ventura said he would continue to work to bring about political “transformation” in Portugal.

“I tried to show that there is another way…that we need a different type of president,” he told reporters.

Getting to the second round was already an important step for Ventura and his party, who recalibrated Portuguese politics.

One of Ventura’s main targets is what he calls excessive immigration, as foreign workers have become more visible in Portugal in recent years.

“Portugal is ours,” he said.

During the campaign, Ventura put up billboards across the country saying, “This is not Bangladesh” and “Immigrants should not be allowed to live on welfare.”

Although he founded his party less than seven years ago, its growing public support made it the second largest party in the Portuguese parliament in the May 18 general election.

Seguro will next month replace center-right President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has served the constitutional limit of two five-year terms.