Centre-left candidate Antonio Jose Seguro wins Portugal’s presidency, defeating far-right rival Andre Ventura in a vote disrupted by severe storms.
LISBON: Centre-left candidate Antonio Jose Seguro secured a decisive victory over far-right rival Andre Ventura in Portugal’s presidential election on Sunday. The run-off vote proceeded despite being disrupted by weeks of devastating storms.
With 95% of ballots counted, Seguro won 66% of the vote to Ventura’s 34%. The 63-year-old Socialist will succeed conservative Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa as president.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the result. “The Portuguese citizens have spoken and, in the face of devastation caused by the storms, demonstrated remarkable democratic resilience,” she posted on social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the outcome, expressing hope to reinforce ties between the two nations.
The election campaign was upended by two weeks of storms and fierce gales that killed at least seven people. The severe weather caused an estimated EUR 4 billion in damage.
The disruption forced around 20 of the worst-hit constituencies to postpone voting by one week. The election proceeded for nearly all of Portugal’s 11 million eligible voters at home and abroad.
Ventura, 43, had criticised the government’s storm response and unsuccessfully sought to have the entire election postponed. He is the first extreme-right candidate to reach a presidential run-off in Portugal.
Seguro is a veteran political operator and former Socialist party leader. He began his campaign without the formal backing of the Socialist Party’s leadership, though most eventually supported him.
He positioned himself as a unifying candidate and warned of the “nightmare” the country could face if his opponent won. Ventura campaigned on a promise to break with the parties that have governed Portugal for the past 50 years.
Seguro urged voters to turn out despite the weather. “Come and vote. Make the most of this window of good weather,” he said after casting his ballot in Caldas de Rainha.
Retired teacher Celeste Caldeira, 87, said authorities made the right choice to proceed with the election. “We have two candidates. Either we vote for the one who has everyone’s interests at heart or I don’t know where we’re going,” she told AFP.
Seguro topped the first round in January with 31.1% of the vote, ahead of Ventura on 23.5%. He subsequently secured endorsements from figures across the far left, centre, and right.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro declined to endorse either candidate in the second round. His minority centre-right government relies on support from either the Socialists or the far right to pass legislation.
Ventura’s Chega (Enough) party, founded in 2019, became the leading opposition force after the May 2025 general election. Political science professor Jose Santana Pereira said Ventura is seeking to “assert himself as the true leader of the Portuguese right”.
In Portugal, the president holds the power to dissolve parliament and call early elections but otherwise fulfills a largely symbolic role. The new president will take office in early March.
