Presidential Election Confirmed For 24 Jan 2021

The Portuguese presidential election has been confirmed for 24 January 2021.

• The Portuguese presidency is a largely ceremonial position, but the office holder does wield some important powers in relation to foreign policy and national security, as well as having the ability to dissolve parliament in the event of a political crisis and select the prime minister.
• Incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa from the centre-right Social Democratic Party is strongly favoured to win a second five-year term in office should he decide to run again. He has not confirmed his candidacy as of yet, but is expected to make an announcement in November 2020.
• Opinion polls carried out since September 2020 give Rebelo de Sousa between 56% and 65% support nationwide, enough to win re-election in the first round.
• The incumbent is seen to have a good working relationship with Prime Minister Antonio Costa from the Socialist Party. Seeking to preserve this relationship, Costa's party does not appear to be putting forward an official candidate up against Rebelo de Sousa.
• The primary challenge to a second Rebelo de Sousa term at present seems to come from Ana Gomes, a former Socialist Party MEP now running on behalf of the animal rights-environmentalist People-Animals-Nature party and the eco-socialist LIVRE party. However, she trails Rebelo de Sousa significantly, with 10-17% support in late-2020.