Exactly at the moment the Antena 1 and RTP poll for the Catholic University of Portugal was released, Luís Marques Mendes took to the stage on Tuesday at the Ansião Cultural Centre in Leiria.
Mendes in fifth place in the polls urges tactical voting and receives support from the Finance Minister: "Don't fall for siren songs"
Tuesday, 13 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Tactical voting (voto útil) means choosing a candidate or party other than your first preference in order to achieve a strategic outcome — for example, concentrating support to ensure a preferred candidate reaches a second-round runoff, or to prevent a disliked candidate from winning.
In Portugal, tactical voting is particularly relevant in presidential elections (where a two-round system is used) and in legislative elections (where proportional representation means small parties can lose votes to threshold effects in smaller districts).
Party leaders frequently urge tactical voting during campaigns, asking supporters of allied or similar parties to consolidate behind the strongest candidate to maximize seat counts or prevent rivals from gaining ground.
