LISBON, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Moderate socialist António José Seguro appeared to be on his way to a landslide victory in the second round of Portugal’s presidential election this Sunday, with two exit polls putting him in the 67% to 73% range, well ahead of his far-right and anti-establishment rival, André Ventura.
Exit polls carried out for the television channels RTP, SIC and TVI/CNN placed Ventura with 27% to 33% of the votes, still a better result than the 22.8% that his anti-immigration party, Chega, obtained in last year’s general elections.
Last year, Chega became the second largest parliamentary force, surpassing the socialists and falling behind the ruling center-right alliance, which obtained 31.2%.
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Despite Sunday’s defeat, Ventura, 43, a charismatic former TV sports commentator, can now boast a surge in support, reflecting the growing influence of the far right in Portugal and much of Europe.
The Presidency is an essentially ceremonial role in Portugal, but it exercises some important powers, including, in some circumstances, dissolving Parliament, calling early parliamentary elections and vetoing legislation.
(Reporting by Sergio Gonçalves)
