Of the 11 candidates, could five go to the second round?
With a decisive election campaign, Montenegro was no bit-part player: he entered as a “strategic asset”, aligned himself with Marques Mendes and pushed the “useful vote” narrative from the outset.
"It's hard to know what Seguro thinks": Catarina Martins and Jorge Pinto tried to justify their candidacies and highlight differences
Europe and rejection of the 'useful vote' were central themes in the final left‑wing face‑off. “Choosing the lesser evil has only made the greater evil grow,” warned Catarina Martins. “Having a right‑wing President is bad,” but polls should not be the “main reason to vote,” Jorge Pinto emphasised.