Portugal votes in storm-hit runoff as rivals seek to block far right

Portuguese voters will return to the polls on Sunday for the final round of a presidential election that has been marked by a push to keep the far-right candidate at bay and overshadowed by deadly storms. The moderate leftwing candidate António José Seguro won the first round on 18 January with 31.1% of the vote.

André Ventura of Chega took 23.5%, João Cotrim de Figueiredo about 16%, and Luis Marques Mendes came fifth with 11.3% among 11 candidates. Some conservative figures declared their support for Seguro in an effort to head off a possible far-right presidency: the former president and prime minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva and the former deputy prime minister Paulo Portas were among the first to endorse him, and more than 6,600 signatories of an open letter backed Seguro.

Others have been more reluctant—Carlos Moedas and Mariana Leitão say they will vote for Seguro but “unenthusiastically”, while Cotrim de Figueiredo has said he will not vote for Ventura, may abstain, or cast a blank ballot.

Portugal