Portugal’s moderate socialist Antonio Jose Seguro has won a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election, beating far-right candidate Andre Ventura, Reuters reports.
Seguro, who won the support of senior conservatives after the first round of voting amid concerns about Ventura’s authoritarian and populist tendencies, will become the first socialist president in 20 years.
The weather and storms did not deter voters, and turnout was similar to the first round on January 18, although some municipalities postponed voting for a week due to flooding. With 95% of votes counted as of the morning of February 9, Seguro had 66% of the vote. Ventura won 34% of the vote, but that is still significantly higher than the 22.8% his party Chega received in the parliamentary elections last year.
Votes in the big cities are being counted at the end, but two polls suggest Seguro could get 67-73% of the vote there, while Seguro could get 27-33%.
Chega became the second largest force in parliament last year, ahead of the Socialists and behind the ruling center-right alliance,
which received 31.2% of the vote.
Despite the loss, Ventura, a 43-year-old former sports commentator, will now be able to gain wider support, reflecting the growing influence of the far-right in Portugal and Europe as a whole. Ventura told reporters that the entire political system, both right and left, is united against him. He stressed, however, that despite this, the leadership of the right is determined and secured, and he expects to lead this part of the political space in the future.
The role of the president in Portugal is largely ceremonial, but the position also carries certain powers, including the president’s ability to dissolve parliament and, under certain circumstances, suspend the adoption of laws.
Analysts have pointed out that the conservatives’ support for Seguro, and the fact that about two-thirds of voters have chosen to side with Ventura, indicate that even if “Chega” manages to gain broad voter support in the next parliamentary elections, the party would be prevented from coming to power by a potential centrist alliance.
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