It has been announced who will advance to the second round of the presidential election in Portugal
19 January 07:15
The Socialist Party representative António José Seguro and the leader of the far-right party Chega (“Enough!”), André Ventura, are advancing to the second round of the presidential election in Portugal. This was reported by the country’s Ministry of Internal Administration, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the latest data, Seguro has 30.59% of the vote. His opponent has 24.34%. 53.99% of Portuguese citizens eligible to vote turned out at the polls.
Thus, for the first time in 40 years, the country will hold a second round of presidential elections.
Populist Ventura was considered the favorite in the election
Pre-election polls named right-wing populist André Ventura, who made immigration the central theme of his campaign, as the favorite in the race. His party’s posters with anti-immigrant slogans were an unprecedented phenomenon for Portugal. Last year, just six years after its founding, Ventura’s party became the second largest force in the country’s parliament.
According to the AP, the Portuguese are more concerned about the housing crisis and the rising cost of living than immigration to the country. Ahead of the presidential election, António José Seguro called himself “the only candidate who can defeat extremism” and called on all Portuguese who share the values of democracy to vote for him.
The Portuguese media describe António José Seguro as a moderate candidate. His election campaign focused on the themes of “a decent life for all Portuguese,” the quality of healthcare, overcoming social inequality, and rejecting party conflicts in order to overcome political polarization in the country.
