António José Seguro and André Ventura will debate next Tuesday, the 27th, in the only head-to-head televised debate of the campaign for the second round of the presidential election, scheduled for 8 February. The debate starts at 20:30, lasts 75 minutes and will be broadcast simultaneously on SIC, TVI and RTP. Relive here the first confrontation between António José Seguro and André Ventura, on 17 November 2025. It was moderated by José Alberto Carvalho and broadcast on TVI.
Another debate between Seguro and Ventura is coming: relive the first showdown between the two presidential candidates here
Thursday, 22 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The second round (segunda volta) is a runoff held if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in the first round of a Portuguese presidential election. Only the top two candidates advance to the runoff, which takes place 21 days after the first round.
Portugal's Constitution requires an absolute majority for the presidency, making runoffs a possibility whenever the field is fragmented. In practice, most Portuguese presidential elections since 1976 have been decided in the first round — the only runoff to date was in 1986, when Mário Soares defeated Diogo Freitas do Amaral.
The 2026 presidential election went to a second round for only the second time in democratic history, with António José Seguro and Henrique Gouveia e Melo advancing from a crowded first-round field. Second-round dynamics often differ significantly from the first round, as voters consolidate behind two candidates and tactical considerations become paramount.
