Portugal elects Socialist Celebration’s Seguro as president in landslide – Worldwide Dispatch

With 95 p.c of votes counted, 63-year-old Antonio Jose Seguro is on 66 p.c.

Antonio Jose Seguro of the centre-left Socialist Celebration has secured a landslide victory and a five-year time period as Portugal’s president in a run-off vote, beating his far-right, anti-establishment rival, Andre Ventura, based on partial outcomes.

With 95 p.c of votes counted, 63-year-old Seguro has garnered 66 p.c. Ventura trailed at 34 p.c, nonetheless more likely to safe a a lot stronger consequence than the 22.8 p.c his anti-immigration Chega occasion achieved in final 12 months’s basic election. Ballots in giant cities akin to Lisbon and Porto are counted in direction of the tip.

Two exit polls have positioned Seguro within the 67-73 p.c vary, and Ventura at 27-33 p.c.

A succession of storms in latest days has failed to discourage voters, with turnout at about the identical degree as within the first spherical on January 18, although three municipal councils in southern and central Portugal needed to postpone voting by every week as a consequence of floods. The postponement affected some 37,000 registered voters, or about 0.3 p.c of the overall, and is unlikely to affect the general consequence.

Portugal’s presidency is a largely ceremonial function, nevertheless it holds some key powers, together with the power to dissolve parliament below sure circumstances.

Ventura, 43, who had trailed Seguro in opinion polls, had argued that the federal government’s response to the fierce gales and floods was “ineffective” and known as for the whole election to be postponed.

Nevertheless, the authorities rejected the demand.

Seguro, throughout his final marketing campaign rally on Friday, accused Ventura of “doing all the pieces to maintain the Portuguese from turning out to vote”.

Regardless of his loss on Sunday, Ventura, a charismatic former tv sports activities commentator, can now boast elevated help, reflecting the rising affect of the far proper in Portugal and far of Europe. He’s additionally the primary extreme-right candidate to make it by to a run-off vote in Portugal.

In the meantime, Seguro has solid himself because the candidate of a “trendy and reasonable” left, who can actively mediate to avert political crises and defend democratic values. He obtained backing from outstanding conservatives after the primary spherical amid issues over what many see as Ventura’s populist, hardline tendencies.

However Prime Minister Luis Montenegro – whose minority centre-right authorities has to depend on help from both the Socialists or the far proper to get laws by parliament – declined to endorse both candidate within the second spherical.

Whereas the function is basically ceremonial, the top of state has the facility to dissolve parliament and name early elections.

The brand new president will succeed outgoing conservative Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in early March.