A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Lisbon, Portugal, Jan. 18, 2026. Portugal's presidential election will head to a second round after no candidate secured an outright majority in Sunday's first round, according to data released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration. Based on 95.7 percent of the votes counted, Seguro and Ventura will enter the runoff scheduled for Feb. 8 as the leading candidates. The winner will be determined by a simple majority. (Xinhua/Xun Wei)
LISBON, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's presidential election will proceed to a second round, with Antonio Jose Seguro leading the first round with 30.69 percent of the votes, according to data released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
Chega party leader Andre Ventura placed second with 26.97 percent of the vote, followed by Luis Marques Mendes of the center-right Social Democratic Party in third place, with 14.82 percent.
The results are based on provisional counts from 1,150 of the 3,259 freguesias and 47 of 109 consulates, as of 20:00 local time (1900 GMT).
Under Portugal's constitution, the president is elected by direct popular vote, with a candidate required to win more than 50 percent of valid votes in the first round to secure victory.
The move to a runoff marks the first time in 40 years that a Portuguese presidential election has required a runoff between the two leading candidates.
The runoff vote is scheduled for Feb. 8, with the winner to be determined by a simple majority. ■
Voters are pictured at a polling station in Lisbon, Portugal, Jan. 18, 2026. Portugal's presidential election will head to a second round after no candidate secured an outright majority in Sunday's first round, according to data released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
Based on 95.7 percent of the votes counted, Seguro and Ventura will enter the runoff scheduled for Feb. 8 as the leading candidates. The winner will be determined by a simple majority. (Xinhua/Xun Wei)
A voter interacts with a staff member at a polling station in Lisbon, Portugal, Jan. 18, 2026. Portugal's presidential election will head to a second round after no candidate secured an outright majority in Sunday's first round, according to data released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
Based on 95.7 percent of the votes counted, Seguro and Ventura will enter the runoff scheduled for Feb. 8 as the leading candidates. The winner will be determined by a simple majority. (Xinhua/Xun Wei)