Portugal Set for Rare Presidential Runoff as Populist Leads Poll
Luis Marques Mendes, left, and Andre Ventura during a presidential campaign television debate on Jan. 6.
Photographer: Zed Jameson/BloombergPortugal is heading for its first presidential runoff in 40 years, an official poll shows, in a race between a traditional establishment figure and a populist challenger.
André Ventura, who heads the opposition in parliament and leads the far-right Chega party, is projected to win 24% of the vote on Sunday, narrowly ahead of former Socialist Party leader António José Seguro with 23%, according to a poll published late Tuesday by public broadcaster RTP. João Cotrim de Figueiredo, a former leader of the Liberal Initiative who was elected to the European Parliament in 2024, is third with 19%.