A presidential election was held in Portugal on 24 January 2016. The election chose the successor of President Aníbal Cavaco Silva, who was constitutionally not allowed to run for a third consecutive term.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the candidate supported by Social Democratic Party (PSD), CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP) and People's Monarchist Party (PPM), won the election on the first round with 52% of the vote. Marcelo also won in every single district in the country and only lost a few municipalities in the south of the country. The Socialist Party (PS), for the first time in a Presidential election, did not officially support a candidate, with party members dividing their support for either António Sampaio da Nóvoa or Maria de Belém,Belém e Nóvoa partem o PS em dois. Saiba quem apoia quem, Renascença, 20 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2025. which polled 23% and 4%, respectively. The Left Bloc's candidate, Marisa Matias, polled a strong third place, with 10% of the votes, while the communist candidate, Edgar Silva, achieved a very poor result, less than 4% of the votes. One of the big surprises in the election was the result of eccentric candidate Vitorino Silva, polling at 3.3% of the votes, just 30,000 votes behind the communist candidate.
For this election, about 9.7 million voters were registered to cast a ballot by election day. Turnout was higher than that of the 2011 election, but reached a record low in a presidential election with a non incumbent, as only 48.66% of the electorate cast a ballot.Abstenção de 51,16% é a maior em eleições para primeiro mandato na presidência , Público (January 25, 2016). Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was sworn in as President on 9 March 2016.
Background After being re-elected with 53% of the votes in January 2011, Aníbal Cavaco Silva had served two consecutive five-year terms as president, the maximum number, and the 2016 election was to choose a successor for a term beginning on 9 March. In Portugal, the president is the head of state, has mostly ceremonial powers. However, the president does have some political influence and can dissolve Parliament if a crisis occurs.10 candidates to run in Portugal's presidential election , Associated Press (December 30, 2015).Portugal presidential election likely to go into runoff, Deutsche Welle (January 21, 2016). The president also has an official residence in the Belém Palace in Lisbon. Cavaco Silva's second term was dominated by the IMF/Eurozone bailout to rescue the country's finances and economy. The complex economic situation forced the head of state to mediate talks between parties on several occasions, one of them in 2013, after a government crisis in which Cavaco proposed a "unity government" between the PSD and PS to resolve the crisis, a proposal that was rejected by the parties. The dire economic picture, Cavaco's alignment with the then PSD/CDS–PP government and some controversial positions and gaffes, led to a significant drop in his popularity ratings. For most of his second term, Cavaco Silva coexisted with PSD prime minister Pedro Passos Coelho, with the institutional relationship being a good one, but after the 2015 legislative election, which resulted in relative victory for Passos Coelho's coalition, but with a left-wing majority, the president had to cohabitate with Socialist prime minister António Costa for the last few months of his term. Cavaco Silva nominated Costa as prime minister after the left-wing majority rejected Passos Coelho's second minority government.
Pre-campaign Just like in 2006 and 2011, the Socialist Party had no real strategy for the presidential election, while on the PSD, the almost certain candidacy of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa created doubts in the party's leadership, with party leader Pedro Passos Coelho expressing that the party's supported candidate could not be a "windmill", which was interpreted as a criticism towards Marcelo, despite a later denial from Passos Coelho. After a strong showing in the 2015 legislative election, the Left Bloc hoped to reinforce its position with the candidacy of Marisa Matias while the communists tried to recover from being overtaken by the Left Bloc, but presented a candidate from Madeira, Edgar Silva, with little national recognition.
Electoral system In order to stand for election, candidates must be of Portuguese origin and over 35 years old, gather 7,500 signatures of support one month before the election, and submit them to the Constitutional Court of Portugal.
Under Portuguese law, a candidate must receive a majority of votes (50% plus one vote) to be elected. If no candidate achieved a majority in the first round, a runoff election (i.e., second round, held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round) would have been held on February 14.
Candidates Official candidates On 29 December 2015 the Constitutional Court certified a record ten candidates as having met the requirements to appear on the ballot. This remained the highest number of candidates in a Presidential ballot in Portuguese democracy until 2026. CandidateParty supportPolitical office(s)DetailsAnnouncement dateRef.Henrique Neto (79)NoneMember of Parliament for Leiria(1995–1999)Socialist Party (PS) member; failed to gain the support of the party.25 March 2015Henrique Neto recolhe mais de 7900 assinaturas TSF, 11 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015Henrique Neto candidata-se a Belém com soluções à esquerda e à direita , Jornal i, 25 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.Paulo de Morais (52)NoneDeputy Mayor of Porto(2002–2005)Anti-corruption activist.18 April 2015Mais um candidato a Belém. Agora é Paulo Morais, Observador, 9 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April.Cândido Ferreira (66)NoneNoneNephrologist MD; former member of the Socialist Party (PS); former Chair of the Leiria Federation of the Socialist Party (1995–1999). 25 April 2015Médico Cândido Ferreira apresenta candidatura a 25 de abril em CantanhedeAntónio Sampaio da Nóvoa (61) Portuguese Workers' Communist Party LIVRE/Time to Move ForwardNoneFormer Dean of the University of Lisbon (2006–2013); one of the two candidates endorsed by the Socialist Party (PS).29 April 2015Sampaio da Nóvoa. O novo ídolo da esquerda, Jornal_i, 15 September 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2014.Candidato presidencial Sampaio da Nóvoa “praticamente seguro” de segunda volta, Observador, 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.Jorge Sequeira (66)NoneNonePsychologist, researcher and university professor.23 July 2015Jorge Sequeira apresenta assinaturas e quer Portugal sem "partidocracia" , Porto Canal, 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.Edgar Silva (53) Portuguese Communist PartyMember of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira(1996–2024)Former Catholic priest; member of the Central Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP).8 October 2015Edgar Silva formaliza candidatura à Presidência e garante não ter “amarras”, Público, 7 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.PCP já tem candidato às presidenciais. Saiba quem é o padre Edgar Silva, Diário Económico, 8 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.Tudo o que precisa de saber sobre as eleições presidenciais, Expresso, 24 January 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2025.Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (67) Social Democratic Party CDS – People's Party People's Monarchist PartyMember of the Council of State(2006–2016)President of the Social Democratic Party(1996–1999)Minister of Parliamentary Affairs(1982–1983)Member of the Constituent Assembly(1975–1976)Social Democratic Party (PSD) member; jurist; university professor; political commentator.9 October 2015Passos e Portas formalizam apoio a Marcelo, Observador, 10 de Novembro de 2015. Vista em10 de Novembro de 2015.Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa admite candidatura às presidenciais de 2016, SIC Notícias, 27 de Outubro de 2013. Vista em 24 de Agosto de 2014.PSD começa a acreditar que Marcelo é candidato , SOL, 5 de Abril de 2015. Vista em 5 de Abril de 2015.Marcelo já decidiu avançar , SOL, 21 de Agosto de 2015. Vista em 21 de Agosto de 2015.Belém: Caminho mais aberto para Marcelo, Observador, 29 de Agosto de 2015. Vista em 29 de Agosto de 2015.Passos Coelho não afasta apoio nas presidenciais. Marcelo sorri, Observador, 5 de Setembro de 2015. Vista em 5 de Setembro de 2015.Marcelo aproxima-se de Passos. “Tem de ser”, Expresso, 20 de Setembro de 2015. Vista em 20 de Setembro de 2015.Marcelo: “Estou mais bem situado” que Rui Rio para as presidenciais, Observador, 2 de Outubro de 2015. Vista em 3 de Outubro de 2015.Presidenciais: Marcelo já tomou a decisão e tudo indica que avança, Público, 5 de Outubro de 2015. Vista em 6 de Outubro de 2015.Marcelo apresenta candidatura hoje às 18h00, Observador, 9 de Outubro de 2015. Vista em 9 de Outubro de 2015.Maria de Belém Roseira (66)NonePresident of the Socialist Party(2011–2014)President of the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party(2011)Minister of Equality(1999–2000)Minister of Health(1995–1999)Member of the Socialist Party (PS); was one of the two candidates endorsed by the party.13 October 2015Maria de Belém entrega assinaturas no Tribunal Constitucional e diz confiar na vitória , RTP Notícias, 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.Oficial: Maria de Belém comunicou a Costa que será candidata à Presidência, Observador, 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.Marisa Matias (39) Left Bloc Socialist Alternative MovementMember of the European Parliament(2009–2024)Left Bloc (BE) member; sociologist, who has worked in the areas of environment and public health.18 October 2015Marisa Matias formaliza candidatura a Presidente da República, Esquerda.net, 17 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.Marisa Matias é candidata à Presidência da República, Esquerda.net, 18 de Outubro de 2015.Contra a austeridade, votar Marisa Matias nas Presidenciais e exigir que o Governo devolva o que a direita roubou Vitorino Silva (44)NonePresident of the Parish Council of Rans(1994–2002)More commonly known as Tino de Rans; paver; former member of the Socialist Party (PS).23 October 2015Tino de Rans é candidato e tem 8.118 apoiantes, Diário de Notícias, 23 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
Unsuccessful candidates
Manuel João Vieira, singer, independent candidate.Candidato Vieira - Página Oficial Manuel Almeida, independent.Pronto para a rentrée? Responda ao quiz da silly season, Observador, 13 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015. Paulo Freitas do Amaral, university professor, former president of the parish of Cruz Quebrada; withdrew and supported Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.(26 November 2015) "Paulo Freitas do Amaral desiste da candidatura presidencial" TVI 24. Retrieved 26 November 2015. Orlando Cruz, withdrew in favour of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.(14 December 2016) Orlando Cruz e António Araújo da Silva desistem da corrida a Belém Observador. Retrieved 14 December 2016. Graça Castanho, withdrew due to having lost her nomination signatures in a storm. Castanheira Barros, independent candidate, former member of the Social Democratic Party; withdrew and supported Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.(21 December 2015) Castanheira Barros desiste da cirrida a Belém Correio da Manhã. Retrieved 22 December 2015. Manuela Gonzaga, historian and writer; was supported by the People–Animals–Nature.(23 December 2015) Manuela Gonzaga desiste de candidatura à Presidência. "Não vale a pena inventar desculpas" Expresso. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
Decided not to run Fernando Nobre – Independent candidate which had contested the previous presidential election.Presidenciais Nobre a caminho de Belém? "Sou um putativo candidato", Notícias_ao_Minuto, 14 February 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014. António Vitorino – former European Commissioner (1999–2004).(7 February 2015) "PS vira-se para Vitorino, mas não confirma desistência de Guterres", Publico. Retrieved 8 February 2015. António Capucho – former Mayor of Cascais (2001–2011).