At stake in this election:     

• The office of President of Portugal

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (since 9 March 2016)
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Antonio Luis Santos da COSTA (since 24 November 2015)
• Assembly: Portugal has a unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República) with 230 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority popular vote in a two-round vote to serve a 5-year term.*
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President to serve a 4-year term.*
• In the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República), 226 members are elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote, and 4 members representing Portugese living abroad are elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms.

*There is one single nationwide constituency for presidential elections. If no candidate receives an absolute majority of valid votes cast a second round is held 21 days later between the top two candidates; the candidate who wins the most votes in the second round is elected.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Candidate: Ana GOMES
  • Supporting Party: Socialist Party / Partido Socialista (PS)
• Candidate: André Ventura
  • Supporting Party: CHEGA
• Candidate: João Ferreira
  • Supporting Party: Portuguese Communist Party (PCP)
• Candidate: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
  • Supporting Party: Independent*
• Candidate: Marisa Matias
  • Supporting Party: Left Bloc (BE)
• Candidate: Tiago Mayan Gonçalves
  • Supporting Party: ILiberal Initiative (IL)
• Candidate: Vitorino Silva (Popularly known as Tino de Rans)
  • Supporting Party: React, Include, Recycle (RIR)

*Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is a member of the Social Democratic Party, though he suspended his party membership for the duration of his presidency.