Socialist António José Seguro defeated far-right candidate André Ventura, winning over 66% of the vote in the second round of Portugal’s presidential election.
According to DW, with 95.37% of the votes counted, Seguro, supported by the Socialist Party (PS) since the first round and by left-wing parties thereafter, was leading with 66.14%, against Ventura’s 33.86%.
In an initial reaction to the still provisional results, Seguro praised the Portuguese people:
“My first word is simple: the Portuguese people are the best people in the world, excellent, with enormous civic responsibility and a commitment to democratic values,” he told reporters in the city of Caldas da Rainha, where he lives.
For his part, the leader of the Chega party acknowledged that the goal of winning the election had not been achieved. “It seems that I was unable to do what I set out to do, which was to win this election,” said André Ventura.
António José Seguro became the President of the Republic of Portugal elected with the highest number of votes cast in 50 years of democracy, surpassing Mário Soares’ 3,459,521 in the 1991 election.
More than 11 million voters were called to the polls to choose Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s successor. In the first round, on January 18, Seguro obtained 31.11% and Ventura 23.52% of the votes, according to the official announcement of the general results.
“The Portuguese people voted overwhelmingly for democracy”
Cape Verdean President José Maria Neves congratulated António José Seguro on his victory. In a message on Facebook, he said that “despite all the storms, the Portuguese people went to the polls and voted overwhelmingly for republicanism and democracy.”
José Maria Neves said that Seguro’s victory “shows that in politics it is worth swimming in the deep waters of decency, serenity, and wisdom, always with an eye on freedom and human dignity.”
Brazilian President Lula da Silva also considered that the election of António José Seguro represents “a victory for democracy” and stated that Brazil will continue to work “in partnership” to “strengthen historic bilateral relations.”
