This Sunday, January 18, 2026, Portugal has celebrated a especially close and uncertain presidential electionswith 11 candidates in the running and the very high possibility that the result will be resolved in second round, scheduled for February 8. In real time, the first official data and partial counts summarize a historic day with high participation and a very marked fragmentation of the votes.
Partial count: sure leader, but the far-right is going strong
Con about 53% of the scrutiny complete according to the most recent official figures, the partial picture shows:
- António José Seguro (Socialist) leading, with approximately 30% of the votes.
- André Ventura, from the Chega party (far-right)in second position with 27%.
- Luís Marques Mendes hanging around 14%.
- Henrique Gouveia e Melo y João Cotrim de Figueiredo approximately both around the 12%.
Historical participation and a mobilized country
Election day has stood out for the influx to the polls, with rates that exceed those of recent elections mid-afternoons and bring participation closer to figures not seen in years. According to preliminary data, 45.51% of the electorate had voted at 4:00 p.m. local time, a much higher participation than that registered in 2021 at the same time.
Keys to the political scene
Since 1974 there have not been such open presidential elections in Portugal. The polls and first results show a dispersion of votes between several candidates, with at least five with a real chance of going to the second round.
The leader of party arrives, Andre Venturaemerges as a figure with solid support, consolidating the strength of a populist right-wing movement that has grown in recent years and that has already positioned itself as the main opposition after the 2025 legislative elections.
He Socialist Party candidate, António José Seguroonce again leads the partial count, reflecting that the social democratic tradition remains strong in sectors of the electorate
More important than it seems
Although the portuguese president does not govern (responsibility that falls on the prime minister), his constitutional role includes functions of political moderation and the power to dissolve the Assembly of the Republic in serious cases, which makes this position more than symbolic.
Despite everything, the election reflects the deep social and political tensions in the country: the emergence of the populist right, the challenge for traditional parties and the perception of change among broad segments of the electorate. These elections also serve as a thermometer for the direction of the center-left in Europe and to observe how new or heterodox forces can influence institutional politics.
