Portugal's voters took to the polls on Sunday in a highly anticipated runoff presidential election, where they will choose between two candidates: Antonio Jose Seguro of the Socialist Party and Andre Ventura, leader of the nationalist party Chega. This marks the first time Portugal has held such an election in 40 years.
The Socialist Party's Seguro secured 31.1 percent of the vote in the first round of the election, while Ventura took home 23.5 percent. While it is all but certain that Seguro will emerge victorious, Ventura's far-right stance has garnered significant attention from observers and politicians alike.
Voting began at 9am local time on Sunday for the presidential election, with over 11 million voters eligible to cast their ballots. Despite an improvement in weather overnight, nearly 32,000 people in 14 of the most affected constituencies have had their votes postponed by a week due to heavy storms and flooding.
Storms that killed at least seven people triggered significant damage, estimated at around €4 billion ($4.7 billion). However, Ventura's call for postponing the whole vote was rejected by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who described it as a "devastating crisis" but vowed that measures could be implemented to ensure voting went smoothly.
Voters will make their decisions in an election viewed as a high-stakes choice between the socialists and a resurgent far right.
The Socialist Party's Seguro secured 31.1 percent of the vote in the first round of the election, while Ventura took home 23.5 percent. While it is all but certain that Seguro will emerge victorious, Ventura's far-right stance has garnered significant attention from observers and politicians alike.
Voting began at 9am local time on Sunday for the presidential election, with over 11 million voters eligible to cast their ballots. Despite an improvement in weather overnight, nearly 32,000 people in 14 of the most affected constituencies have had their votes postponed by a week due to heavy storms and flooding.
Storms that killed at least seven people triggered significant damage, estimated at around €4 billion ($4.7 billion). However, Ventura's call for postponing the whole vote was rejected by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who described it as a "devastating crisis" but vowed that measures could be implemented to ensure voting went smoothly.
Voters will make their decisions in an election viewed as a high-stakes choice between the socialists and a resurgent far right.
. I think it's interesting how two seemingly different paths are being presented: the traditional socialist route (Seguro) and a more populist, nationalist approach (Ventura). The stakes seem high, with many people considering this election a make-or-break moment for their country's direction.
. While I understand that safety should be the top priority, the postponement of votes in some areas feels like an overreaction. It'll be fascinating to see how voters weigh the pros and cons of each candidate, especially with Ventura's far-right stance sparking a lot of attention.
. As someone who values stability and progress, I'm intrigued by Seguro's platform and how it aligns with Portugal's history as a welcoming nation 
. Still, there are concerns about the potential backlash from Ventura's rhetoric, which could lead to division and social unrest 
.
what's going on with these storms? 32k people having their votes postponed is crazy! Can't believe they're gonna vote anyway despite the damage 
. And yeah, I'm worried about Andre Ventura too, his views are super concerning 
Anyway, can't wait to see how this election plays out 
what's crazy is how this election is being seen as like a high-stakes choice between socialists and far right - it feels like the whole world's watching, you know? 
They're both just going to be politicians trying to make promises they'll never keep. I mean, what's the difference between them, really? It's not like one of them is gonna suddenly change and become a better person or anything 
Seven people are dead, €4 billion worth of damage... when will they learn to take care of their own country?! I'm so tired of politicians being all like "oh woe is us" and not actually doing anything about it. 
It's like, they're trying to make voting as hard as possible on purpose.
Seguro seems to be winning, but Ventura's got some major fans 
what's with the whole 'far-right' thing tho? don't really know much about him, think he wants to limit immigration or something 
4.7 billion euros damaged from the storms...wow that's a lot of cash 
Portugal needs stability after this disaster 
. But at the same time, I feel like people are trying to tune it out and just vote for whoever is 'less bad'. You know? 
.