Lisbon, January 18, 2026 – The Europe Today: More than 218,000 registered voters in Portugal began casting their ballots on Sunday under the country’s early and mobile voting system, as the nation prepares to elect a successor to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, media reports said.
Sunday’s early voting, held one week ahead of the main election day on January 18, employed a flexible system that allows citizens to vote at any designated polling station nationwide.
Meanwhile, presidential candidates continued campaigning across the country, with most activities concentrated in the northern regions. The candidates in the race include Antonio Jose Seguro, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Luis Marques Mendes, and Joao Cotrim de Figueiredo, among others.
Under Portugal’s election rules, if no candidate achieves an absolute majority in the first round, a runoff between the two leading contenders is scheduled for February 8.
Among those participating in early voting on Sunday was President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who registered in advance “with the aim of calling attention to this modality that allows greater flexibility for Portuguese citizens to vote,” according to a previous statement. Voting in Portugal is not mandatory.
