António José Seguro
In the first round of the elections, Seguro also showed good results, gaining 31.1% of the votes, while Ventura collected 23.52%. Upon taking the presidency, Seguro will become the first socialist in this position in the last two decades. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, has already congratulated him on his success, emphasizing that Portugal's support for European values remains high.
Despite Ventura's loss, his result was the best in the history of his party, which was founded only in 2019, and it has already managed to position itself as the largest opposition force in parliament. Congratulating Seguro on his victory, Ventura noted that the right-wing forces are strengthening their positions and will soon be able to take over the governance of the country.
The presidential term in Portugal is five years. Although this position mainly involves representative functions, presidents have the right to appoint the prime minister, veto laws, and dissolve parliament.
The election campaign in the second round took place against the backdrop of the consequences of the devastating hurricane "Kristin," which struck Portugal at the end of January. The hurricane claimed the lives of six people, and hundreds of thousands of citizens were left without electricity.
One of the key themes of the election campaign for Ventura was the tightening of immigration policy, while Seguro emphasized that migration is an economic necessity, but also acknowledged the importance of stricter regulation in this area.
