Portugal elects Socialist as president
Portugal has elected a new head of state following the second round of the presidential election, with Socialist Party candidate Antonio Jose Seguro winning the vote, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to Al Jazeera, with 95% of ballots counted, the 63-year-old Antonio Jose Seguro has secured about 66% of the vote. His rival, far right candidate Andre Ventura, received around 34%.
Exit polls had earlier projected a decisive victory for the center-left candidate, putting his support at between 67% and 73%. Vote counting in major cities, including Lisbon and Porto, traditionally concludes at a later stage.
The election was held amid difficult weather conditions. In late January, Portugal was hit by powerful Storm Kristin, which caused fatalities and widespread destruction. Despite the adverse weather and a series of storms in recent days, voter turnout remained roughly at the level of the first round held on January 18. In several municipalities in southern and central Portugal, voting was postponed by a week due to flooding, affecting about 37,000 registered voters.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro did not endorse either candidate in the second round.
The presidency in Portugal is largely a ceremonial post, but the head of state holds key powers, including the authority to dissolve parliament and call early elections under certain circumstances. The new president is set to take office in early March, succeeding outgoing president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Costa Rica had elected its second female president.
