Overview
- Exit polls by Universidade Católica for RTP show António José Seguro at 30–35% and André Ventura at 20–24%, setting up a two-candidate contest on February 8.
- Liberal candidate João Cotrim de Figueiredo registered 17–21% in the survey, with ex-navy chief Henrique Gouveia e Melo at 11–14% and government-backed Luís Marques Mendes at 8–11%.
- No candidate secured an outright majority in the first round, making a runoff necessary under Portugal’s election rules.
- The poor showing of the governing coalition’s pick intensifies pressure on Prime Minister Luís Montenegro over how his minority government positions itself for the second round.
- Cotrim de Figueiredo faces a sexual-harassment allegation posted on Instagram by a former aide, which the reporting notes is not a formal complaint.