"Our first mission is to fight the pandemic," Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said today after his victory in the Portuguese elections was confirmed

Rebelo de Sousa wins presidential election, 32% of votes counted

AFP/ PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - Portugal has gone from asking for a bailout in 2011 to forecasting the first surplus in its democratic history by 2020.

EFE

25 de enero de 2021 (10:32 h.)

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The conservative Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portugal's president and candidate for re-election, is the winner of the first round of the country's presidential elections, according to provisional data from 32 % of the vote count, which gives him 64 % of the votes.

In second place is the far-right candidate André Ventura with 12.5 %, followed by the former Socialist MEP Ana Gomes with 10 %.

The remaining four candidates, Marisa Matias, backed by the Bloco de Esquerda, the communist João Ferreira and the liberal Tiago Mayan, and the independent candidate Vitorino Silva did not reach 4% of the vote.

These are results that were already being predicted by television exit polls, which agree that Rebelo de Sousa will win in the first round, always with more than 55% of the votes.

According to these projections, Ana Gomes will come second, with between 13 and 16 % of the vote, while the third place will go to the far-right candidate, André Ventura, with between 8 and 12 % of the vote.

They will be followed by Marisa Matias, backed by the Bloco de Esquerda, the communist João Ferreira and the liberal Tiago Mayan, all with between 3 and 5 % of the vote, while the independent candidate Vitorino Silva will get between 2 and 4 % of the vote.

EU congratulates Rebelo de Sousa on his re-election as Portuguese president

The Presidents of the Council and Commission of the European Union (EU), Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, on Monday congratulated the Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on his re-election in the elections held the day before in Portugal.

"My sincere congratulations to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on his re-election as President of Portugal. I am sure that your mandate as President, together with the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council will contribute to a fair, green and digital recovery. Congratulations," tweeted Michel.

The President of the European Council was thus alluding to one of the major objectives that the Portuguese Presidency of the EU has set itself for these six months: to strengthen the social pillar in order to achieve "a fair, green and digital recovery" after the pandemic without leaving anyone behind.

"Congratulations, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. I congratulate you on your re-election as President of Portugal. I hope that our cooperation will continue during and after the Portuguese presidency of the European Union," Von der Leyen wrote on her Twitter account.

Rebelo de Sousa, 72, last night expressed his desire to be the "president of each and every Portuguese, a president who is not one of the good guys against the bad guys" and set as his "first mission to fight the pandemic".

With 60.72% of the votes, Rebelo de Sousa renews his mandate for five years after an election day marked by abstention, 60.51%, the advance of the far-right André Ventura and the collapse of the left.