A growing number of centre-right and liberal politicians in Portugal are publicly throwing their support behind Socialist-backed António José Seguro as unease mounts over the prospect of far-right leader André Ventura reaching the presidency.
The latest to voice his support for Seguro is Cristóvão Norte, a senior Algarve MP from the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), who announced he will vote for Seguro in the second round of the presidential election on February 8, citing the need to defend “moderation” and “national cohesion”.
“Opting for moderation is opting for common sense. It is rejecting the extremes that corrode the social fabric and undermine institutions. It is choosing a way of exercising office that privileges dialogue over monologue, argument over insult, and the search for consensus over the imposition of will,” he wrote on social media.
“I am not a socialist and never will be,” he wrote. “But I refuse to contribute to a society fuelled by intolerance and resentment.”
According to Norte, supporting a “moderate candidate is a vote towards a balanced, dignified and unifying presidency.”
“It is a clear statement that we want a Head of State who represents the entire nation, who calms tensions rather than inflaming them, and who is committed to healing social fractures instead of deepening them. The future of national cohesion depends on this choice,” he argued.
Norte is far from alone. Rodrigo Saraiva, an MP from the economically liberal Iniciativa Liberal (IL), confirmed on Antena 1’s Entre Políticos radio programme that he will also back Seguro in the runoff, despite coming from the opposite end of the ideological spectrum.
On election night, Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, former leader of the conservative CDS-PP, told CNN Portugal he would vote for the former Socialist leader.
“There can be no hesitation when fundamental civilisational values of our country and our continent are at stake,” Rodrigues dos Santos said, adding that “at moments like this, all democrats” must be clear about where they stand.
The list of heavyweight names from the right and centre-right supporting Seguro also includes Porto mayor Pedro Duarte, former PSD minister Miguel Poiares Maduro, historian and political commentator José Pacheco Pereira, former secretary of state José Eduardo Martins, and ex-Cascais mayor António Capucho.
Despite the mounting declarations, Prime Minister and PSD leader Luís Montenegro announced that the party will issue no official voting guidance for the second round.
“We will not make any recommendation, nor should we,” Montenegro told reporters after a meeting of the PSD’s national leadership, arguing that neither finalist represents the party’s political space.
Meanwhile, André Ventura has directly appealed to right-wing parties for their support, arguing that a ‘united right’ would be too strong for Seguro to overcome. So far, however, his pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
António José Seguro and André Ventura will face off in the runoff after finishing first and second in Sunday’s vote, with Seguro on 31% and Ventura on 23%.
Third place went to João Cotrim de Figueiredo (16%), followed by Henrique Gouveia e Melo (12%) and Luís Marques Mendes (11%).
