The candidate backed by Livre says being recognised for his ideas is a source of pride.
Jorge Pinto does not see tactical voting as an enemy
Saturday, 10 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
- Leader: Rui Tavares
- Ideology: Green left-wing politics, libertarian socialism
LIVRE (meaning "Free") is a green left-wing party founded in 2014 by historian and former MEP Rui Tavares. The party struggled for years before finally electing Tavares as its first MP in 2022, then grew to 4 seats in 2024 and 6 seats in 2025—making it the only progressive party to gain ground in recent elections. LIVRE focuses on environmental protection, human rights, and progressive social policies while maintaining a pro-European stance.
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.
