MADRID, January 19. /TASS/. Former head of Portugal’s Socialist Party Antonio Jose Seguro and the leader of the far-right party Chega, Andre Ventura, are expected to head into Portugal’s presidential runoff, preliminary results from the country’s Ministry of Internal Administration show, with nearly 90% of ballots counted.

As many as 11 candidates, ten men and one woman, are vying for the office, but none of them has secured 50% of the vote in the first round. As a result, Portugal will face a runoff election on February 8, in which only the two candidates with the strongest voter support would advance. The last time a second round was held was in 1986. The current race featured a record number of candidates and a high voter turnout. The leading contenders are Seguro, with more than 30% of the vote, and Ventura, with around 25%.

The current head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, took office in 2016 and was re-elected in 2021. He cannot run again, as the country’s law prohibits three consecutive terms.

Ventura has previously said that the presidency would be "the best way to lead the opposition in Portugal," adding that he would push his party’s agenda if elected.

Seguro is a veteran politician who served as head of the Socialist Party from 2011 to 2014 and previously worked in the government of Antonio Guterres, who is now UN Secretary General.