António José Seguro and André Ventura advanced to a presidential runoff that sets a stark choice for voters. Seguro framed himself as a unifying 'President of all Portuguese', while Ventura characterised his campaign in opposition to the 'socialist space', producing an 'ocean of differences' in tone and strategy. The second round will test whether a conciliatory, centrist message or a confrontational, non‑socialist platform gains broader traction.