Latest news and stories about election campaign in culture in Portugal for expats and residents.
The leader of Chega and presidential candidate arrived at São Nicolau Church to attend mass.

Humberto Correia was the first candidate to exercise his right to vote, at around 09:00. The presidential candidate, whose electoral campaign was marked by touring the country dressed as D. Afonso Henriques, says he managed to fulfil the objective he set for these elections.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is preparing to step down from active politics and return to the classroom.

Voting for a candidate can be a form of attachment, like the one we feel toward our parents and, later, in romantic relationships. Is there something inexplicable about how we decide to vote?

In this Friday's Contrapoder, communications consultant António Cunha Vaz reviews the electoral campaign. He says it “was one of the dirtiest campaigns” he has ever witnessed.

On the final day of the campaign, André Ventura attacked immigrants and gender minorities, praised Salazar and King Afonso Henriques, and in the afternoon asked that PSD and IL not be 'an obstacle' if the second round becomes a head-to-head against Seguro.
Thirteen days of an election campaign with 11 candidates for a single seat come to an end today. There are therefore many moments that will go down in history — moments captured by our teams who followed yet another election campaign.

In this May 2025 episode of Perguntar Não Ofende, ahead of this year's legislative elections, Daniel Oliveira spoke with António Gomes, managing director of GfK-Metris and a specialist with three decades of experience in opinion research. Revisit the conversation here about polls and tracking polls.

André Ventura kept one of the campaign traditions and made the customary walk down Chiado on the last day before the election. Confident of victory on Sunday, the Chega candidate already issued challenges ahead of the second round, urging the PSD and the Liberal Initiative not to stand in the way of a final showdown with António José Seguro.

The presidential candidate says there are traditions brought by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa that should be preserved. He gives a positive assessment of the campaign, focused 'on what was essential'.

Jorge, are you a good catch? Guilherme Geirinhas speaks with Jorge Pinto in the seventh episode of the fifth season of Bom Partido, featuring the presidential candidates.

The sun appeared in time for the final day of the campaign, in a setting the candidate hopes to see repeated on the road to Belém. Seguro seeks to present himself as the candidate of reconciliation and is already assuming the trappings of the presidency, on a day also marked by several high‑profile endorsements in Porto.

Miguel Sousa Tavares analyses the campaign, saying that Seguro and Ventura took fewer risks. Cotrim was running 'a remarkable campaign' but repeatedly shot himself in the foot; Mendes suffers from doubts about his work as a consultant; and the Admiral was the one who put forward 'a clear idea'.

Manuela Ferreira Leite praised Marques Mendes — and especially his wife — at a supporters' lunch in Lisbon. The candidate refers to polls as 'for every taste' and urges supporters: 'believe'.

Geração V hosts a debate with five representatives of the candidates: Eva Brás Pinho (Mendes), Jorge Teixeira (Cotrim), Frederico Tropa (Ventura), Júlia Araújo (Gouveia e Melo) and Renato Daniel (Seguro).

André Ventura uses disinformation “to create chaos and informational disorder in society and to manipulate the electorate”.

After two weeks of campaigning and the requirement to refrain from discussing the 'presidential' topic on Saturday, the day of reflection, next Sunday, the 18th, the attention of much of the Portuguese public will probably be focused on television channels which, at 8pm, will release the first projections of who progresses to the second round in the most hotly contested elections – and ...

The candidate says 'everything is still open' and reminds that incorrect polls are 'our daily bread'. Also, the Clérigos Tower in Porto reopens.

With the traditional march down Chiado, parades and dinner rallies, the first-round campaign comes to an end. We serve a traditional caldo verde.

João Cotrim de Figueiredo's social media accounts saw the number of followers increase by 19.7% — between 12 and 15 January — in the week when first André Ventura's 'rather unfortunate moment' emerged and then the allegation of sexual harassment surfaced, which has already led the candidate to criticise the media...

In the fifth season of 'Bom Partido', Guilherme Geirinhas talks to the presidential candidates. We followed the behind-the-scenes of the episodes with Gouveia e Melo and Cotrim de Figueiredo. The show's success reveals politicians worried about what to wear and aides excited simply to be present. The comedian insists: 'Bom Partido' has not become 'more important than a debate'.

David Pontes argues that the so-called elections for the presidencies of the CCDRs are a façade: party leaders pick office-holders behind closed doors, depriving voters and local stakeholders of genuine choice. The editorial contends this practice undermines democratic legitimacy, concentrates power within party machines and weakens accountability in regional policy, and calls for transparent, competitive selection procedures and broader electoral reform.

The RTP debate — the only one to include all 11 candidates — centred on personalised attacks and contrasting styles. Ventura and José Seguro were frequent targets while Rui Rio’s former ally Mendes emerged as the most aggressive, clashing chiefly with Admiral Gouveia e Melo; the two men’s exchange became the debate’s defining confrontation. Other notable dynamics included mutual restraint between Almirante and the Chega leader, André Pestana’s bold interventions, Manuel João Vieira’s ironic tone, and even criticism directed at Marcelo, suggesting a campaign increasingly shaped by personality and tactical barbs rather than detailed policy battles.

The formal presidential campaign period begins today at 06:00, initiating a regulated phase of intensified candidate activity and public messaging ahead of the vote. This milestone shifts competition from informal positioning to structured campaigning — emphasising policy platforms, targeted voter outreach, media strategy and fundraising — and will influence tactical decisions, debate preparation and regulatory compliance over the coming weeks.


Portugal Resident •