Moderate Socialist Antonio Jose Seguro secured a landslide victory and a five-year term as Portugal's president in a runoff vote on Sunday (February 8), beating his far-right, anti-establishment rival Andre Ventura.

“I accept with great humility, enormous emotion and confidence the position that the Portuguese people have just entrusted to me as their President of the Republic,” he told the supporters gathered in Caldas da Rainha.

Seguro, who received backing from prominent conservatives after the first round amid concerns over what many see as Ventura's populist, authoritarian tendencies, becomes the first Socialist head of state in 20 years, succeeding Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative, after two terms in office.

“We are no longer opponents and now have a shared duty to work towards a more developed and fairer Portugal,” Seguro, 63, told his rival Ventura.

A succession of storms in recent days failed to deter voters, with turnout at about the same level as in the first round on January 18, even though several small municipalities had to postpone voting by a week due to floods.

With 95% of votes counted, Seguro garnered 66%. Ventura trailed behind at 34%, still set to secure a much stronger result than the 22.8% his anti-immigration Chega party achieved in last year's general election.

Ballots in large cities such as Lisbon and Porto are counted towards the end. Two exit polls placed Seguro in the 67%-73% range and Ventura at 27%-33%.

Last year, Chega became the second-largest parliamentary force, overtaking the Socialists and landing behind the center-right ruling alliance, which garnered 31.2%.

Despite his loss on Sunday, 43-year-old Ventura, a charismatic former TV sports commentator, can now boast increased support, reflecting the growing influence of the far right in Portugal and much of Europe.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

CALDAS DA RAINHA, PORTUGAL (FEBRUARY 8, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF SOCIALIST CANDIDATE ANTONIO JOSE SEGURO ARRIVING AND GREETING SUPPORTERS

2. SEGURO GETTING UP ON A STAGE AND GREETING SUPPORTERS

3. SEGURO SUPPORTERS WAVING PORTUGUESE FLAGS

4. VARIOUS OF SEGURO ON STAGE COVERED BY PORTUGUESE FLAGS AND CHEERING SUPPORTERS

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) SOCIALIST CANDIDATE ANTONIO JOSE SEGURO SAYING:

“I accept with great humility, enormous emotion and confidence the position that the Portuguese people have just entrusted to me as their President of the Republic.”

6. SUPPORTERS WAVING PORTUGUESE FLAGS AND CHEERING

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) SOCIALIST CANDIDATE ANTONIO JOSE SEGURO SAYING:

“A word to my opponent in the second round of the presidential elections. As I have said many times, as a democrat, all those who ran against me in this election process deserve my respect. As future President of the Republic, I would add that as of tonight we are no longer opponents and now have a shared duty to work towards a more developed and fairer Portugal.”

8. SUPPORTERS WAVING PORTUGUESE FLAGS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) SOCIALIST CANDIDATE ANTONIO JOSE SEGURO SAYING (ON RECENT STORMS):

“I will not accept bureaucracy that prevents aid from reaching those who have lost so much or even everything. I will visit the affected areas to ensure that this aid is getting through. I will not forget you, and I will not abandon you.”

10. SUPPORTERS WAVING PORTUGUESE FLAG

11. SEGURO SAYING (Portuguese) “Today we celebrate, tomorrow we work”, SEGURO LEAVING

12. SEGURO AND FAMILY DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM AND GREETING SUPPORTERS

13. PORTUGUESE FLAGS

14. SEGURO AND HIS FAMILY ON STAGE