Sunday’s presidential election in Portugal will almost certainly require a second round for the first time in 40 years amid growing political fragmentation, and the race for a place in the second round is still open, a new opinion poll shows.
The ultra-right, anti-establishment candidate and leader of the main opposition party, Chega, André Ventura, was slightly ahead with 24% of voting intentions, followed closely by the socialist António José Seguro, with 23%, according to the survey carried out by researchers at the Catholic University and published by the newspaper Público on Wednesday (14).
João Cotrim de Figueiredo, from the Liberal Initiative, is close behind, within the survey’s 2.2% margin of error. Two other candidates, including Luís Marques Mendes, supported by the PSD, have 14% each.
Smaller polls conducted in recent days show similarly tight margins among the top five contenders for a position that, while largely ceremonial, has powers to dissolve parliament and call early elections.
Only once in Portugal’s post-dictatorship history has one gone to a second round, which highlights the impact of the growing influence of the ultra-right and voters’ fatigue with traditional parties.
Despite Ventura’s lead, his over 60% rejection rate suggests he would lose a runoff against any of the four main rivals.
