2026 Portuguese presidential election

A Portuguese presidential election will be held in January 2026. This election will elect the successor of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, as he is barred from running for a third term.

Portuguese presidential election, 2026
January 2026
Incumbent President

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
PSD
Politics of Portugal
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
  •  Portugal portal

Background and election procedure

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was re-elect in January 2021 with almost 61% of the votes on the first round. He took the oath of office on March 9, 2021, and continued the Cohabitation with Socialist Prime Minister António Costa.

In Portugal, the president is the head of state, has mostly ceremonial powers. However, the president does have some political influence and can dissolve the Parliament of Portugal if a crisis occurs. The president also has an official residence in the Belém Palace in Lisbon.

In order to stand for election, candidates had to each gather 7,500 signatures of support one month before the election, and submit them to the Constitutional Court of Portugal. Then, the Constitutional Court has to certified if the candidacies submitted met the requirements to appear on the ballot. The highest number of candidacies ever accepted was ten in 2016.

Under Portuguese law, a candidate must receive a majority of votes (50% plus one vote) to be elected. If no candidate achieved a majority in the first round, a runoff election (i.e., second round, held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round) has to be held.

Potential candidates

Opinion polling

Approval ratings

The table below lists the evolution of public opinion on the President's performance in office.

Polling
firm		 Fieldwork
date		 Sample
size		 Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Approve Disapprove No opinion Net
Intercampus 13–20 Aug 2021 612 62.3 12.8 24.9 49.5
Eurosondagem 26–29 Jul 2021 1,025 81.1 8.0 10.9 73.1
Aximage 10–12 Jul 2021 763 55 18 27 37
Eurosondagem 5–8 Jul 2021 1,022 80.8 9.7 9.5 71.1
Aximage 26–30 May 2021 796 70 10 20 60
Eurosondagem 10–13 May 2021 1,008 80.0 9.4 10.6 70.6
Intercampus 5–11 May 2021 610 69.0 11.1 19.9 57.9
Aximage 22–25 Apr 2021 830 71 10 19 61
Intercampus 7–13 Apr 2021 609 67.0 14.7 18.3 52.3
ICS/ISCTE 5–13 Apr 2021 802 79.9 7.3 12.8 72.6
Eurosondagem 5–8 Apr 2021 1,020 75.1 4.8 20.1 70.3
Aximage 24–27 Mar 2021 830 72 17 11 55
Intercampus 4–10 Mar 2021 615 69.3 10.2 20.5 59.1

See also

References
  1. “Costa prepara Legislativas a pensar nas Presidenciais de 2026? Há quem aposte nisso”, Observador (June 11, 2018).
  2. “Exclusivo Palácio de Belém, 2026. Os possíveis inquilinos que se seguem”, Diário de Notícias (October 25, 2020).
  3. "Sócrates diz que "mentiras caíram", promete defender-se e avisa ter "muito a dizer", Jornal de Negócios (April 9, 2021).
  4. ""Não me excluo de nada". Santana Lopes antevê presidenciais de 2026". ZAP Notícias (in Portuguese). 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  5. "Candidatura à Presidência da República? Gouveia e Melo diz que daria um péssimo político". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-12-08.
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