Portugal's presidential election heads to runoff as Seguro leads 1st round

LISBON -- Portugal's presidential election will head to a second round after no candidate secured an outright majority in Sunday's first round, according to data released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration.

According to the preliminary count, Antonio Jose Seguro of the center-left Socialist Party led the vote with 30.6 percent, followed by Chega party leader Andre Ventura with 24.3 percent.

Joao Cotrim de Figueiredo, a right-wing candidate from the Liberal Initiative, placed third with 15.5 percent of the votes, while independent candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo gained 12.2 percent.

Based on 95.7 percent of the votes counted, Seguro and Ventura will enter the runoff scheduled for Feb. 8 as the leading candidates. The winner will be determined by a simple majority.

Under Portugal's constitution, the president is elected by direct popular vote, with a candidate required to win more than 50 percent of valid votes in the first round to secure victory.

The move to a runoff marks the first time in 40 years that a Portuguese presidential election has required a runoff between the two leading candidates.

The presidency carries a five-year term, renewable once. Incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will complete his second term on March 9 when the newly elected president is due to be sworn in.

Although largely ceremonial, the Portuguese presidency holds critical powers, including the authority to dissolve parliament and veto legislation.