In the Portuguese presidential runoff, Antonio Jose Seguro of the center-left Socialist Party was elected president. Backed even by support from parts of the right seeking to contain the far right, Seguro won a landslide, yet the far-right candidate who faced him also expanded his support base and made his presence felt.

According to the AP and other outlets, with 99% counted, Seguro won 66.7% in the presidential runoff held on the 8th (local time), far ahead of Andre Ventura of the far-right party Chega on 33.3%. The two candidates advanced to the runoff after placing first and second in the first round on the 18th of last month.

Seguro said on the day, “I am moved by the response the people of Portugal sent today, by their commitment to freedom and democracy and to the future of the nation, and I am proud of our people.” Entering politics in 1991, Seguro built a long political career, serving as leader of the Socialist Party from 2011 to 2014, among other roles. After losing the 2014 party leadership primary to Antonio Costa (currently President of the European Council), he stayed in academia before returning to politics by running in this presidential election.

Seguro is seen as having won with backing from mainstream conservatives and others concerned about the rapid rise of the far right. During the campaign, he criticized Ventura's anti-immigration policies and cast himself as a moderate leftist who would defend democracy against extremism and work with the center-right. The New York Times (NYT) wrote that “the landslide by Seguro offered a moment of relief to the political establishment in and beyond Portugal amid the spread of the far right across Europe,” while adding that “the fact that a far-right candidate was present in the runoff once again sounded a warning for Europe.”

Because it was the first time a far-right candidate had reached a runoff, this election was regarded as a critical juncture showing the rapid transformation of the Portuguese political landscape. It also drew attention as a chance to gauge support for Ventura's combative political style and to assess public reaction to the rightward shift Europe has seen in recent years. Although Ventura lost, he recorded a higher vote share than in last year's general election (22.8%). Following Chega's rise to become the largest opposition party in last year's general election, six years after its founding, by breaking the Social Democratic Party·Socialist Party two-party system, the party has maintained its upward momentum.

Joao Cancela, a professor at NOVA University Lisbon, told the NYT that “Portugal had a long-standing reputation as an exceptional country with respect to the rise of the European far right, and that reputation has now completely collapsed,” adding that “this election shows a structural change rather than a temporary phenomenon.” He also explained that as housing prices, the burden of living costs, and a lack of jobs have emerged as problems behind the boom in Portugal's tourism industry, support for Ventura has increased especially among the working class and younger voters.

Ventura said on the day, “the entire political class, across left and right, united to oppose me,” and added, “even so, I believe the leadership of the right has been established today. From today, we will drive that political space forward.”

With the election of Seguro, the Socialist Party has produced a president for the first time in 20 years, since President Jorge Sampaio. Seguro will take office next month, succeeding President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who comes from the center-right Social Democratic Party. Portugal is a parliamentary system in which the prime minister runs overall state affairs, but the president is also granted certain powers, including the authority to dissolve parliament, command of the armed forces, and a veto over legislation. The presidential term is five years, and a second term is allowed.