DeSosa Re-elected as Portugal President... Wins 62% of Votes in April 24 Election

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal (72), is participating in the presidential election voting on the 24th. [Image source= AFP]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of Portugal (72), successfully secured re-election despite the worst COVID-19 prevention situation.

According to the AP News on the 24th (local time), with 98% of the votes counted in the presidential election held that day, President de Sousa received 62% of the votes. Earlier exit polls predicted that President de Sousa would easily win re-election with a vote share of 57-62%. Having secured more than the majority of votes, President de Sousa is expected to begin his second term without a runoff election.

AP News reported that the strong performance of far-right candidate Andr? Ventura is notable. Ventura is competing fiercely for second place with Ana Gomes of the Socialist Party, each receiving about 12% of the votes. Ventura is a young politician born in 1983 and serves as the leader of CHEGA, a party founded in April 2019 emphasizing nationalism.

The COVID-19 prevention situation in Portugal is the worst. According to Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Portugal has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths per 100,000 population.

President de Sousa has expressed support for the prevention policies of the ruling center-left Socialist Party government, which holds real power. President de Sousa has gained public favor with his friendly image. Last year, a photo of him standing in line at a supermarket wearing sneakers and shorts attracted attention.

President de Sousa, originally a journalist who founded the weekly magazine 'Isfresu' in his twenties, previously served as the leader of the center-right Social Democratic Party.

Portugal is a parliamentary republic with a presidential system. The president is a formal head of state with only veto power over laws and no authority to execute policies. However, in times of national crisis, the president has the power to dissolve parliament and call for general elections.

The term of the Portuguese president is five years, with one possible re-election. Since 1976, all Portuguese presidents have succeeded in re-election.

The voter turnout in this presidential election was below 50%. Although the government increased the number of polling stations and allowed early voting in preparation for the COVID-19 situation, it failed to raise turnout. There are about 10.8 million eligible voters, of which approximately 1.5 million reside overseas.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.