Latest news and stories about campaign in Portugal for expats and residents.
The announcement was made by the presidential candidate supported by Livre in his reaction speech to the election results at his campaign 'headquarters' in the Amarante Cine-theatre.
On the day when 100 figures from the AD stood by Gouveia e Melo, Marques Mendes seized the opportunity to distance himself from the Government — despite being accompanied by two ministers.
“What António José Seguro fears is that I will put an end to corruption.” That was what the candidate said in Viseu, beside the statue of Sá Carneiro, “an inspiring reference”, a man with whom André Ventura has “many affinities”.
In Boticas, the Admiral urged people to go to the polls and admitted that “it would be good if it were settled in the first round.” Mounted on a Harley, Gouveia e Melo said he will “make as many circuits as the Portuguese want.”
Paulo Raimundo, General Secretary of the PCP, was for the first time alongside António Filipe in what marked the party's first public show of support for the candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, at a rally in Vila Nova de Gaia. António Filipe says he is motivated and confident for the second week of the campaign.
Polls indicate João Cotrim de Figueiredo performs better with younger voters, while older voters show weaker support. However, on his visit this Saturday to Caldas da Rainha, it was precisely senior voters who came closest to the candidate. Earlier, he hosted his family at a rally in Lisbon.
The Chega candidate anticipates a final showdown with António José Seguro and issues a challenge to the prime minister.
In Aveiro, while visiting the Festas de São Gonçalinho, the AD-backed candidate decided to up the ante. “My firm conviction is that I will advance to the second round in first place,” he said, adding that “on the 18th we will know who is right.”
On the seventh day on the campaign trail he had another minister join the campaign. This time it was Paulo Rangel, who said Mendes will 'shoot up' next week. The candidate says he has 'confidence' and is intent on discrediting the daily polls. In the Minho region he aimed barbs at opponents André Ventura and Cotrim Figueiredo: 'Young people's problems are not solved on TikTok'
The great battle of 2014 left the party hesitant, but Socialists have been active in Seguro's campaign. The candidate wants to be 'above party politics', yet the party machine has always been present — and prominent figures are beginning to emerge.
The candidate's family joined the campaign for the first time. His eldest daughter spoke, his four children came on to the stage and Cotrim was moved: “They are the best thing I have done in this world.”
João Cotrim de Figueiredo says those who attacked him for admiring Sá Carneiro and Passos Coelho show a 'lack of greatness'. He finished the campaign day with a rally in Lisbon.
André Ventura challenges Luís Montenegro to say what he would do in a head-to-head second-round scenario against António José Seguro. In Portalegre, he bought tangerines and drew political conclusions from their size.
Presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes appealed today to voters who will cast their ballots early, asking them to choose the candidate who is 'best prepared' for the office and who has the most experience in government.
Between 'sympathy' and exchanges of barbs, João Cotrim de Figueiredo and Jorge Pinto crossed paths at Praça da Fruta. While the liberal seeks the vote of those who 'want to do something' for the country, the candidate supported by Livre reached out to voters on the left, PAN and even to those on the right who recognise the 'danger to democracy'.
Gouveia e Melo campaigned against the polls at the Feira de Senhora in Matosinhos. He says they are manipulated and that the real verdict will be seen on the streets and on the 18th. The candidate is in the Porto district this Saturday.
The candidate backed by Iniciativa Liberal pointed out that the former commentator used the same term for Passos Coelho, which effectively turns the label into a compliment. The campaign toured Vila do Conde, Matosinhos and Aveiro.
Daily poll data also show that Gouveia e Melo has fallen again and that Marques Mendes registered a slight rise and is drawing closer to the admiral. In addition, the gap between fifth place and first place has increased. Technical details: Over three days (4, 5 and 6 January 2026) a minimum of 202 to 203 interviews were collected daily by Pitagórica for TVI, CNN Portugal, TSF and JN (depending on adjustments to the sample quotas) to ensure a daily subsample representative of the Portuguese electoral universe (non-probabilistic). The sampling criteria were gender, three age groups and 20 geographic strata (districts, Madeira and the Azores). The compilation of the last three days of fieldwork produced a sample of 608 interviews which, for a confidence level of 95.5%, corresponds to a maximum margin of error of ±4.06%. Interviewees were selected by randomly generating mobile phone numbers, maintaining the proportion of the three main mobile operators. Where necessary, landline numbers were randomly selected to support the sampling plan. Interviews were collected by telephone (CATI – Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). The study aims to assess Portuguese voters' opinions on issues related to the presidential elections, namely the main protagonists, moments of the campaign, as well as voting intention for the various candidates. A total of 1,244 contact attempts were made to obtain 608 completed interviews, giving a response rate of 48.87%. The distribution of undecided voters is done proportionally. The technical direction of the study is the responsibility of Rita Marques da Silva. The full technical sheet, as well as all the results, have been deposited with the ERC – Entidade Reguladora da Comunicação Social, which will make them available for online consultation.
Santana Lopes stresses, however, that he is not saying he will vote for the Socialist candidate. Meanwhile, Luís Marques Mendes and André Ventura suspended campaign activities to take part in the Council of State.
The presidential candidate missed Santana's television programme and a 'compensation' surfaces in the middle of the campaign during a visit to Figueira. The former PSD leader is relaxed about Seguro. And about Mendes? He doesn't say.
Musician and visual artist Manuel João Vieira has been using humour and artificial intelligence in his campaign for the presidential election on the 16th. He does so to the sound of some of his most daring songs, both with Ena Pá 2000 and through fado, a genre he also performs.
On the streets of Viana do Castelo, Gouveia e Melo tried to persuade undecided voters and believes in a 'silent majority' that will make itself heard on the 18th. There was time for criticism, but also for a sweet treat.
In the streets of Viana, the candidate tried to persuade undecided voters and to get people to see the admiral as more than just a vaccination figure. Also, the Executive accuses the PS of having governed 'in rose-coloured clouds'.
In Sobral de Monte Agraço, Ventura bought bananas and promised to give the fruit’s flesh to friends and the peels to his opponents. For Cotrim, a reminder that the race to Belém is not a 'beauty contest'.
Henrique Gouveia e Melo and João Cotrim Figueiredo are expected to cross paths at a fair in Aveiro on the sixth day of campaigning for the presidential election, while Mendes and Ventura attend the Council of State.
Internal studies carried out after the debate with the admiral suggest to Mendes's team that the candidate's image has not been dented.
Rosa Sofia said that the presidential candidate “knows how to do a few things” in the kitchen, during a campaign event.
André Ventura has encountered strong support and few confrontations in the streets. The party Livre has dismissed the polls from the start, and now Jorge Pinto ignores the one that places Ventura behind Manuel João Vieira.
The former Benfica sprinter and Gouveia e Melo's sports campaign spokesperson is the campaign caravan's 'megaphone'. Diogo Antunes sees the campaign 'not as a sprint, but a marathon'.
The candidates' caravans remain on the road on the day of the fortnightly debate in the Assembly of the Republic. Also, SC Braga defeated Benfica (3-1) and joined Vitória SC in the League Cup final.
