![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||
Registered | 10,847,434 (![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnout | 39.26% (![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Results by district | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 24 January. [1] The incumbent President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was reelected for a second term.
The elections were held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Portugal was under a lockdown as of election day. [2] President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was reelected by a landslide, winning 60.7 percent of the votes. [3] He won every district in the country and all 308 municipalities, a result which happened for the first time ever in Portuguese democracy; he won 3,083 parishes out of 3,092. [4] The election also marked the rise of right-wing candidate André Ventura, leader of CHEGA, who polled 3rd with almost 12 percent of the votes. [5] In second place, former MEP and Ambassador Ana Gomes was able to win 13 percent of the votes, the best result ever for a female candidate in a presidential election. [6] The rest of candidates did not receive above 5 percent each.
Voter turnout fell to 39 percent, a drop of nine percentage points, mainly due to the automatic registration of overseas voters; this practice increased the number of registered voters to almost 11 million. [7] In Portugal alone, turnout stood at 45.45 percent, a decrease of 4.6 percentage points when compared to the 2016 election. This was the lowest drop in turnout in an election with an incumbent running since 1980. [8]
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was elected in 2016 with 52.00% of the votes on the first round. [9] He took the oath of office on 9 March 2016 and has been in cohabitation with Socialist Prime Minister António Costa since then. [10]
In Portugal, the president is the head of state and has mostly ceremonial powers. [11] However, the president does have some political influence, and can dissolve the Parliament of Portugal if a crisis occurs. The president's official residence is the Belém Palace in Lisbon. [12]
Under Portuguese law, a candidate must receive a majority of votes (50% plus one vote) to be elected. If no candidate achieved a majority in the first round, a runoff election (i.e., second round, held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round) should be held. [13]
In order to stand for election, each candidate must gather 7,500 signatures of support one month before the election and submit them to the Constitutional Court of Portugal. The Constitutional Court then certifies the candidacies which meet the requirements to appear on the ballot. The highest number of candidacies ever accepted was ten in 2016. [14]
Voters were also able to vote early, which would happen one week before election day on 17 January 2021. Voters had to register between 10 and 14 January in order to be eligible to cast an early ballot; a total of 246,880 voters requested to vote early in 2021. [15] On 17 January, 197,903 voters (80.16 percent of voters that registered) cast an early ballot. [12] [16]
There were seven candidates certified to run in this election. In addition, the Constitutional Court rejected Eduardo Baptista's nomination due to insufficient signatures, although his name still appeared on the ballot. Six more individuals had announced their intention to run for President, but did not present any application to the Court, two of whom publicly stated that they would withdraw. Finally, three more individuals were, for a while, thought of as potential candidates, but later refused to participate.
At the beginning of the electoral campaign, the president of the French National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, confirmed that she would go to Lisbon to support André Ventura's presidential candidacy. [37]
Candidate | Original slogan | English translation | Refs | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marisa Matias | « Força Maior » | "Greater Force" | [38] | |
João Ferreira | « Coragem e confiança. Um horizonte de esperança » | "Courage and confidence. A horizon of hope" | [39] | |
Vitorino Silva | « O Povo a Presidente! » | "The People for President!" | [40] | |
Ana Gomes | « Cuidar de Portugal » | "Taking care of Portugal" | [41] | |
André Ventura | « Por Portugal, Pelos Portugueses! » | "For Portugal, for the Portuguese!" | [42] | |
Tiago Mayan Gonçalves | « A alternativa liberal » | "The liberal alternative" | [43] | |
[44] |
2021 Portuguese presidential election debates | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Time | Organisers | Moderator(s) | I Invitee P Present A Absent invitee | ||||||||||||||||||
Rebelo de Sousa | Gomes | Ventura | Matias | Ferreira | Mayan | Silva | Refs | |||||||||||||||
2 Jan 2021 | 9PM | RTP1 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
10PM | TVI24 | Carla Moita | P | P | [45] | |||||||||||||||||
3 Jan 2021 | 9PM | RTP1 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
4 Jan 2021 | 9PM | TVI | Pedro Mourinho | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
10PM | SIC Notícias | Clara de Sousa | P | P | [45] | |||||||||||||||||
10:45PM | RTP3 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [46] | |||||||||||||||||
5 Jan 2021 | 9PM | RTP1 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
10PM | SIC Notícias | Clara de Sousa | P | P | [45] | |||||||||||||||||
10:45PM | RTP3 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [46] | |||||||||||||||||
6 Jan 2021 | 9PM | SIC | Clara de Sousa | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
10PM | TVI24 | Carla Moita | P | P | [45] | |||||||||||||||||
10:45PM | RTP3 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [46] | |||||||||||||||||
7 Jan 2021 | 9PM | SIC | Clara de Sousa | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
10PM | TVI24 | Carla Moita | P | P | [45] | |||||||||||||||||
10:45PM | RTP3 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [46] | |||||||||||||||||
8 Jan 2021 | 9PM | TVI | Pedro Mourinho | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
9:30PM | RTP1 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [45] | |||||||||||||||||
10:45PM | RTP3 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [46] | |||||||||||||||||
9 Jan 2021 | 9PM | RTP1 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [45] | ||||||||||||||||
10PM | SIC Notícias | Clara de Sousa | P | P | [45] | |||||||||||||||||
10:45PM | RTP3 | Carlos Daniel | P | P | [46] | |||||||||||||||||
12 Jan 2021 | 9PM | RTP1 | Carlos Daniel | P [e] | P | P | P | P | P | P | [47] | |||||||||||
18 Jan 2021 | 9AM | Antena 1, RR, TSF | Natália Carvalho Eunice Lourenço Judith Menezes e Sousa | P | P | A | P | P | P | P | [48] | |||||||||||
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
The table below shows voter turnout throughout election day including voters from Overseas.
Turnout | Time | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | 16:00 | 19:00 | |||||||
2016 | 2021 | ± | 2016 | 2021 | ± | 2016 | 2021 | ± | |
Total | 15.82% | 17.07% | ![]() | 37.69% | 35.44% | ![]() | 48.66% | 39.26% | ![]() |
Sources [49] [50] |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | Social Democratic Party–People's Party | 2,531,692 | 60.67 | |
Ana Gomes | Independent supported by People Animals Nature–LIVRE | 540,823 | 12.96 | |
André Ventura | Chega | 497,746 | 11.93 | |
João Ferreira | Portuguese Communist Party–The Greens | 179,764 | 4.31 | |
Marisa Matias | Left Bloc–Socialist Alternative Movement | 165,127 | 3.96 | |
Tiago Mayan Gonçalves | Liberal Initiative | 134,991 | 3.23 | |
Vitorino Silva | React, Include, Recycle | 123,031 | 2.95 | |
Total | 4,173,174 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 4,173,174 | 98.00 | ||
Invalid votes | 38,018 | 0.89 | ||
Blank votes | 47,164 | 1.11 | ||
Total votes | 4,258,356 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 10,847,434 | 39.26 | ||
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições |
District | Marcelo | Gomes | Ventura | Ferreira | Matias | Mayan | Vitorino Silva | Turnout | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
Aveiro | 176,763 | 65.66% | 31,812 | 11.82% | 25,894 | 9.62% | 6,309 | 2.34% | 10,421 | 3.87% | 8,338 | 3.10% | 9,670 | 3.59% | 42.78% | |
Azores | 56,178 | 69.67% | 8,940 | 11.09% | 7,560 | 9.38% | 1,536 | 1.90% | 3,176 | 3.94% | 1,666 | 2.07% | 1,575 | 1.95% | 36.07% | |
Beja | 26,910 | 51.30% | 5,613 | 10.70% | 8,490 | 16.19% | 7,877 | 15.02% | 1,895 | 3.61% | 708 | 1.35% | 962 | 1.83% | 43.94% | |
Braga | 234,617 | 63.93% | 44,780 | 12.20% | 39,281 | 10.70% | 10,192 | 2.78% | 12,572 | 3.43% | 11,932 | 3.25% | 13,622 | 3.71% | 48.52% | |
Bragança | 27,258 | 60.47% | 4,851 | 10.76% | 7,939 | 17.61% | 1,019 | 2.26% | 1,511 | 3.35% | 842 | 1.87% | 1,656 | 3.67% | 33.28% | |
Castelo Branco | 44,170 | 62.13% | 8,212 | 11.55% | 9,920 | 13.95% | 2,499 | 3.52% | 2,946 | 4.14% | 1,477 | 2.08% | 1,869 | 2.63% | 43.33% | |
Coimbra | 97,778 | 62.44% | 20,938 | 13.02% | 15,682 | 10.01% | 6,022 | 3.85% | 8,588 | 5.48% | 3,968 | 2.53% | 4,171 | 2.66% | 42.37% | |
Évora | 31,712 | 54.70% | 5,974 | 10.30% | 9,720 | 16.76% | 6,262 | 10.80% | 2,079 | 3.59% | 1,176 | 2.03% | 1,055 | 1.82% | 43.60% | |
Faro | 89,393 | 57.33% | 18,312 | 11.74% | 26,023 | 16.69% | 6,607 | 4.24% | 7,612 | 4.88% | 4,038 | 2.59% | 3,943 | 2.53% | 42.11% | |
Guarda | 34,582 | 64.04% | 5,637 | 10.44% | 7,737 | 14.33% | 1,328 | 2.46% | 1,874 | 3.47% | 1,030 | 1.91% | 1,810 | 3.35% | 37.41% | |
Leiria | 115,484 | 63.94% | 18,871 | 10.45% | 22,576 | 12.50% | 5,761 | 3.19% | 7,222 | 4.00% | 5,185 | 2.87% | 5,526 | 3.06% | 44.70% | |
Lisbon | 556,028 | 57.80% | 136,608 | 14.51% | 123,644 | 12.85% | 48,721 | 5.06% | 36,618 | 3.81% | 39,190 | 4.07% | 18,173 | 1.89% | 50.97% | |
Madeira | 77,945 | 72.16% | 8,510 | 7.88% | 10,642 | 9.85% | 1,855 | 1.72% | 4,601 | 4.26% | 2,484 | 2.30% | 1,986 | 1.84% | 42.71% | |
Portalegre | 21,984 | 55.71% | 4,034 | 10.22% | 7,908 | 20.04% | 2,868 | 7.27% | 1,234 | 3.13% | 703 | 1.78% | 731 | 1.85% | 42.23% | |
Porto | 450,175 | 60.01% | 116,906 | 15.58% | 63,194 | 8.42% | 24,456 | 3.26% | 29,867 | 3.98% | 32,194 | 4.29% | 33,427 | 4.46% | 48.10% | |
Santarém | 101,233 | 60.74% | 16,359 | 9.81% | 26,260 | 15.76% | 8,274 | 4.96% | 6,229 | 3.74% | 3,759 | 2.26% | 4,563 | 2.74% | 44.90% | |
Setúbal | 190,912 | 56.17% | 45,442 | 13.37% | 43,720 | 12.86% | 30,397 | 8.94% | 14,792 | 4.35% | 7,838 | 2.31% | 6,771 | 1.99% | 46.54% | |
Viana do Castelo | 56,937 | 63.66% | 10,348 | 11.57% | 10,177 | 11.38% | 2,851 | 3.19% | 3,296 | 3.69% | 2,244 | 2.51% | 3,583 | 4.01% | 38.49% | |
Vila Real | 47,960 | 63.50% | 8,629 | 11.42% | 10,347 | 13.70% | 1,912 | 2.53% | 2,461 | 3.26% | 1,572 | 2.08% | 2,650 | 3.51% | 35.81% | |
Viseu | 81,568 | 65.25% | 12,992 | 10.39% | 16,446 | 13.16% | 2,750 | 2.20% | 4,174 | 3.34% | 2,524 | 2.02% | 4,553 | 3.64% | 37.26% | |
Overseas | 15,158 | 52.65% | 5,328 | 18.51% | 3,613 | 12.55% | 1,022 | 3.55% | 1,573 | 5.46% | 1,616 | 5.61% | 478 | 1.66% | 1.88% | |
Source: 2021 Presidential election results |
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won the third highest vote margin ever in presidential elections in Portugal since democracy was restored, only behind Mário Soares' 70.35 percent in 1991 and António Ramalho Eanes' 61.59 percent in 1976. [51] He was also the first candidate ever to win the vote in all municipalities, [52] and won in 3083 out of 3092 parishes of the country. [53]
Ana Gomes became the most voted woman ever in presidential elections in Portugal, beating Marisa Matias' previous record of 10.12 percent in 2016, and the first to get second place. [54]
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel by militants who were at the time with the Portuguese Socialist Action. The PS is a member of the Socialist International, Progressive Alliance and Party of European Socialists, and has eight members in the European Parliament within the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group during the 10th European Parliament.
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 26 January 1986, with a second round on 16 February.
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 14 January 1996.
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 7 December 1980.
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 14 January 2001.
Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa is a Portuguese politician and academic. He is the 20th and current president of Portugal, since 9 March 2016. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, though he suspended his party membership for the duration of his presidency. Rebelo de Sousa has previously served as a government minister, parliamentarian in the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, legal scholar, journalist, political analyst, law professor, and pundit.
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 22 January 2006 to elect a successor to the incumbent President Jorge Sampaio, who was term-limited from running for a third consecutive term by the Constitution of Portugal. The result was a victory in the first round for Aníbal Cavaco Silva of the Social Democratic Party candidate, the former Prime Minister, won 50.54 percent of the vote in the first round, just over the majority required to avoid a runoff election. It was the first time in which a right-wing candidate was elected President of the Republic since the 1974 Carnation Revolution.
Maria de Belém Roseira Martins Coelho Henriques de Pina is a Portuguese politician who served as Minister of Health from 1995 to 1999, Minister for Equality from 1999 to 2000, and President of the Socialist Party from 2011 to 2014. She is informally known as Maria de Belém.
The 1999 Portuguese legislative election took place on 10 October. The election renewed all 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic.
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 23 January 2011. The elections resulted in the re-election of Aníbal Cavaco Silva to a second term as President of Portugal. Turnout in this election was very low, where only 46.52 percent of the electorate cast their ballots. Cavaco Silva won by a landslide winning all 18 districts, both Autonomous regions of Azores and Madeira and 292 municipalities of a total of 308.
Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 24 January 2016. The election chose the successor to the President Aníbal Cavaco Silva, who was constitutionally not allowed to run for a third consecutive term.
The 2019 Portuguese legislative election was held on 6 October 2019. All 230 seats to the Assembly of the Republic were contested.
The 2020 Azorean regional election was held on 25 October 2020, to determine the composition of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. All 57 members of the assembly were up for election.
André Claro Amaral Ventura is a Portuguese politician, university teacher, former sports pundit, and founder of the right-wing populist political party Chega.
Early legislative elections were held on 30 January 2022 in Portugal to elect members of the Assembly of the Republic to the 15th Legislature of the Third Portuguese Republic. All 230 seats to the Assembly of the Republic were up for election.
Adolfo Miguel Baptista Mesquita Nunes is a Portuguese jurist and politician. While part of CDS – People's Party, he served as Member of the Assembly of the Republic from 2011 to 2013, and as Secretary of State for Tourism in Pedro Passos Coelho's first and second governments from 2013 to 2015.
Presidential elections were held in São Tomé and Príncipe on 18 July 2021. As no presidential candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was originally scheduled to be held on 8 August 2021. However, following an objection to the first-round result, the second round was postponed to 29 August 2021, and later postponed again to 5 September 2021.
Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Portugal in January 2026. The election will elect the successor to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is barred from running for a third term. Every Portuguese President since carnation revolution has been re-elected for second term but only one, Mário Soares (PS) ran for a non-consecutive third term in the 2006 Presidential Election and lost, making it that every Portuguese President since the carnation revolution of 1974 has been exactly two terms in office.
Snap legislative elections were held on 10 March 2024 to elect members of the Assembly of the Republic to the 16th Legislature of Portugal. All 230 seats to the Assembly of the Republic were up for election. The elections were called in November 2023 after Prime Minister António Costa's resignation following an investigation around alleged corruption involving the award of contracts for lithium and hydrogen businesses.
The 2023 Portuguese Socialist Party leadership election was held on 15 and 16 December 2023. The leadership ballot was called after Prime Minister and Socialist Party Secretary-General António Costa resigned from office on 7 November 2023. The winner of this election led the Socialist Party into the 2024 legislative election.