Landslide win for centre-left candidate António José Seguro in Portugal’s presidential runoff | Portugal

Exit polls and partial results gave moderate socialist António José Seguro a landslide victory over far-right, anti-establishment rival André Ventura in a second round of voting on Sunday and a five-year term as Portugal’s president.

Back-to-back storms in recent days have failed to deter voters, although three municipal councils in southern and central Portugal were forced to postpone voting for a week due to flooding; turnout was almost at the same level as the first round on January 18.

“The reaction of the Portuguese people today, their commitment to freedom, democracy and the future of our country, naturally moved me and made me proud of our nation,” Seguro, 63, told reporters.

The postponement affected approximately 37,000 registered voters, or about 0.3% of the total electorate, and is unlikely to affect the overall outcome. With nearly 70% of the votes counted, Seguro received 64% of the vote. Ventura trailed with 36% and is still likely to have a much stronger result than the 22.8% the anti-immigrant Chega party achieved in last year’s general election. In major cities such as Lisbon and Porto, votes are counted towards the end.

Two exit polls showed Seguro in the 67%-73% range and Ventura in the 27%-33% range.

Last year, Chega became the second largest force in parliament, trailing the Socialists behind the center-right ruling alliance, which won 31.2% of the vote.

Despite Sunday’s defeat, Ventura, 43, a charismatic former TV sports commentator, can now boast growing support; This reflects the growing influence of the far right in Portugal and much of Europe.

“The entire political system, both on the right and on the left, has united against me,” Ventura told reporters as he left a Catholic mass in central Lisbon. “Even so… I believe that the leadership of the Right is defined and secured today. I expect to lead this political field from today.”

Seguro sees himself as the candidate of the “modern and moderate” left who can actively mediate to prevent political crises and defend democratic values. He received support from leading conservatives after the first round, amid concerns about what many saw as Ventura’s populist, authoritarian tendencies.

While Portugal’s presidency is a largely ceremonial role, it has some significant powers, including the power to dissolve parliament under certain circumstances. Ventura said he would be a more “interventionist” president, advocating increasing the powers of the president.

Seguro rejected Ventura’s anti-establishment and anti-immigrant tirades, positioning himself as a moderate candidate who would cooperate with Portugal’s centre-right minority government.

The long-time Socialist politician has won the support of other mainstream politicians on the left and right who want to stem the rising populist tide.

In Portugal, the president is a largely non-executive figure. Traditionally, the head of state stands above political strife, mediating disputes and calming tensions.

However, the president is an influential voice and has some powerful tools at his disposal; Parliament has the power to veto legislation, although the veto can be overturned. The president also has what is called an “atomic bomb” in Portuguese political jargon: the power to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

In May, Portugal held its third general election in three years during the country’s worst period of political instability in decades, and steadying the ship is a key challenge for the next president.

An eloquent and theatrical politician, Ventura rejected political compromise in favor of a more combative stance. As foreign workers have become more visible in Portugal in recent years, one of their main targets has been what he calls over-migration. “Portugal is ours,” he said.

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

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

The winner in March will replace center-right president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has served the two-five-year term limit.