ZAP
The 11 candidates for the Presidency of the Republic in the elections of January 18, 2026.
Elections will have 11 candidates and, it seems, five can go to the 2nd round. Joana Amaral Dias only had 1,575 signatures and was not admitted (like two other candidates). Gouveia and Melo last in the bulletin.
There are 11 candidates for the presidential elections on January 18: Gouveia e Melo, Marques Mendes, António Filipe, Catarina Martins, António José Seguro, Humberto Correia, André Pestana, Jorge Pinto, Cotrim Figueiredo, André Ventura and the painter and musician Manuel João Vieira.
These are the presidential elections with the most candidates in history of Portuguese democracy. Until now, the most disputed had been in 2016, with ten candidates.
Polls have indicated that five candidates (Marques Mendes, André Ventura, Gouveia e Melo, António José Seguro and Cotrim Figueiredo) are in the race to the second round. In fact, the first round of the presidential elections should have the least voted winner everalthough above one million, advances this Tuesday. The constant absence of a clear favorite in the polls opens the door for whoever comes first to have only a third of Mário Soares’ votes in 1991.
Three applications “cut” by the TC
The Constitutional Court (TC) indicated this Tuesday that did not accept applications to the presidential elections of Joana Amaral Dias, Ricardo Sousa and José Cardoso, after failing to correct irregularities that had been identified within the stipulated deadline.
Last Friday, the TC indicated in a ruling that admitted 11 applications to the presidential elections, while three others – Joana Amaral Dias, Ricardo Sousa and José Cardoso – had been notified to correct, within two days, irregularities that had been identified.
In a ruling now published, the TC highlights that, after this period, none of the three candidacies remedied the irregularities in question.
In the case of Joana Amaral Dias, the TC indicates that “she did not gather the missing documents”, namely the certificate of original Portuguese nationality and the “document proving that she enjoys all civil and political rights”, nor did she “present declarations of proposition and respective voter certificates, in terms of completing a legal minimum of 7,500 valid declarations”.
According to the TC, of the 7,500 signatures legally required to run for President of the Republic, Joana Amaral Dias only presented 1,575 valid ones.
former member of the IL and founder of the Social Liberal Party (PLS), was also unable to gather the necessary 7,500 signatures, having only delivered 7,265 that met the legal criteria, that is, that were “regularly instructed, duly signed and with the subscriber’s registration certificate in the electoral register”.
The same happened with Ricardo Sousa, who only presented 3,761 valid signatures.
There is an appeal period for applications considered ineligible or with irregularities and the final decision is made by January 2nd.
What will the bulletin be like?
Former PSD councilor Ricardo Sousa had been in first place in the ordering of names on the ballot papers for the presidential elections on January 18, but since his candidacy was not accepted that place will go to André Pestana.
According to the results of the draw held at the Constitutional Court, Gouveia e Melo occupies the last position.
The president of the TC, José João Abrantes, led the proceedings, before representatives of the various candidacies and journalists, who for the first time were able to attend the session.
Jorge Pinto (supported by Livre) appears in third position in the bulletins, Manuel João Vieira in fourth, Catarina Martins (supported by BE) in fifth, followed by João Cotrim Figueiredo (supported by IL) and Humberto Correia.
Next is António José Seguro (supported by the PS) and then Marques Mendes, the candidate who has the support of the Government parties (PSD and CDS-PP), followed by André Ventura (supported by Chega) and António Filipe (supported by the PCP).
