The elections to elect the President of the Republic of Portugal took place on January 18, 2026, but there will be a second round on February 8, in a runoff between the two candidates with the most votes: António José Seguro and André Ventura.
The election results will produce a new Head of State for the period from 2026–2031, who will replace the current President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. It is the Head of State's responsibility to fight for the proper functioning of state institutions in the executive, legislative, judicial, and media spheres.
Tension is now high in Portugal, as the classes with a public voice in politics and the press are fighting each other as if the world were ending tomorrow. Supporters of António José Seguro claim that André Ventura would bring "fascism" with him and, consequently, discrimination against minorities, violence in society, and authoritarianism. Those supporting the latter accuse Seguro of being a hostage to a version of "socialism" that embraces radicalism, atheism, hatred of Portuguese history, and mass immigration of radical Muslims and criminals from the favelas.
According to the President of the Jewish Community of Porto, Gabriel Senderowicz, the ideological debate regarding these elections is far from being an honest one. “Both candidates have undeniable qualities. Seguro is not Pedro Sanchez; he is a patriot and an honest man who was once politically defeated by the same destructive socialism that some now intend to attribute to him – that is, a socialism supported by the Muslim Brotherhood and naturally hostile to traditional Portuguese society and the Jewish community. Similarly, André Ventura is not a kind of Mussolini who wants to put everything under the control of the State, but rather a Catholic who shows signs of loving his country's 900-year history. In addition, neither of them ordered the invasion of Portugal’s largest synagogue, nor did they create the conditions for this illegal invasion, nor were they present at the inauguration of the Hamas embassy in Lisbon, an embassy on whose map the State of Israel does not appear.”
Senderowicz says, “It is important not to forget that a few years ago the system proved to be very rotten and corrupt. It didn't want Israelis and a full Jewish life. That could have been done silently. Instead, it chose to display hatred and bravado to donors, baring its teeth and trampling on the Jewish community. This we cannot forgive. The best response we can give is to continue filling our synagogues and museums with people. Maybe the authors will be exposed and punished, but that will be dealt with by the competent international bodies. Our work is simply to promote Jewish life, and we hope to continue doing so regardless of who the next President of the Republic is. We will support both candidates.”
