Centre-right in Portugal back left-wing candidate to stop far right

Fahad Redha

February 3, 2026
3 min read

Centre-right in Portugal back left-wing candidate to stop far right

Centre-right politicians in Portugal have publicly backed former general of the Socialist Party António José Seguro to prevent the growth of the “ultranationalist” Chega party. They are backing Seguro in the runoff presidential election on February 8 and rejecting the opposition far-fight Chega leader André Ventura who finished as the runner up in January’s first round of voting.

While polls suggest that Ventura stands little chance of winning the second round, Politico says the centre-right politicians backing Seguro is a signal that they are underscoring the “centre-right’s commitment to democratic values.”

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Former President and Prime Minster Aníbal Cavaco Silva, former Deputy Prime Minster Paulo Portas, and former European Commissioner for research and current mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas are among the prominent figures in Portugal who have spoken out. Thousands of electors having singed an open letter in support of Seguro, including a group of self-identified “non-socialist” public figures.

Ventura gained nearly one in four of the votes in the first round of voting, with his performance signalling the rise of Chega. Through campaigning against immigration and minority groups such as the Portuguese Roma community, as well as denouncing government corruption, the party rose from having just a single member of parliament to becoming the nation’s main opposition party within only six years.

“We have to draw a red line between liberal and illiberal forces,” said political consultant and signatory to the open letter supporting Seguro, Henrique Burnay, said. “And my center-right democratic and liberal values have no connection with the positions the radical right defends.”

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