"Portugal votes on Sunday in a second-round presidential election to pick a successor to conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for the largely ceremonial figurehead position. Polls will open at 8 a.m. local time/UTC/GMT on the mainland for about 11 million eligible voters to cast their ballots in a historic runoff the first in 40 years and only the second since democracy was restored in 1974."
"The clear favorite is 63-year-old Antonio Jose Seguro of the center-left Socialist Party, who is expected to secure up to two-thirds of the vote. Ahead of the election, opinion polls forecast his 43-year-old rival, right-wing populist Andre Ventura, could win around 34%. During the first round three weeks ago, Seguro came out top, with 31% support, but fell far short of an absolute majority."
"This contrasts with Ventura and his Chega (Enough) party, which has quickly grown in popularity since its founding seven years ago due to its leader's anti-establishment and anti-immigrant tirades. The former TV sports commentator and lawyer has also pushed for tougher action on corruption and crime, promising harsher sentences for criminals, including life imprisonment and chemical castration for sex offenders. During the campaign, Ventura put up billboards across the country saying, "This isn't Bangladesh" and "Immigrants shouldn't be allowed to live on welfare.""
Portugal holds a second-round presidential election to choose a successor to conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with polls opening at 8 a.m. local time on the mainland for roughly 11 million eligible voters. The runoff is the first in 40 years and only the second since democracy was restored in 1974. Center-left Antonio Jose Seguro, 63, leads after winning 31% in the first round and is forecast to secure up to two-thirds of the vote. His opponent, 43-year-old right-wing populist Andre Ventura of the Chega party, is forecast around 34% and has campaigned on anti-establishment, anti-immigrant rhetoric and tougher criminal penalties, while Seguro positions himself as a moderate willing to cooperate with the center-right minority government.
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