Socialist former minister António José Seguro has secured a clear victory in the second round of Portugal’s presidential elections. With 99.05% of the votes counted, Seguro achieved 66.79%, compared to the 33.21% obtained by the far-right candidate André Ventura of the Chega party.
With this triumph, a leftist figure returns to the Palácio de Belém—the seat of the Portuguese Presidency—twenty years after Jorge Sampaio left office in 2006. Sampaio was followed by conservatives Aníbal Cavaco Silva and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Transition of Power
The outgoing president will receive his successor this Monday, according to a statement from the Presidency. Rebelo de Sousa telephoned Seguro to congratulate him on his victory and wished him “the greatest happiness and success in the mandate that the Portuguese people have entrusted to him, which will begin on March 9.” He also called Ventura to compliment him on “his contribution to the institutional process of electing the President of the Republic.”
For his part, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro (center-right) has said that his Government will cooperate ‘in a positive and constructive manner’ with Seguro, regardless of his background in the Socialist Party.
