Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa secures a second term with 61% of the vote, while far-right candidate André Ventura garners significant backing.
Portugal’s centre-right president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has been re-elected with a commanding 60.7% of the vote, despite a historically low turnout of around 40%. The election, held during a surge in the country’s coronavirus crisis, also highlighted growing support for the far-right.
André Ventura, leader of the populist Chega party, secured 11.9% of the vote, a sharp rise from the 1.3% his party achieved in the 2019 legislative elections. This performance marked a significant leap for the far-right in a country that has largely resisted the wave of right-wing populism seen across other European nations.
Socialist challenger Ana Gomes came in second with 12.9%, narrowly edging out Ventura. Ventura, known for his anti-immigration rhetoric, is aligned with European far-right leaders such as France’s Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini.
While Rebelo de Sousa’s victory was widely expected, the election revealed the far-right’s growing influence in Portugal’s political landscape, signaling potential challenges for mainstream parties in the future.
