Exit poll: Portugal anti-immigration candidate in runoff with Socialist for president | Eastern NC Now

UPDATE; Final results: Socialist 31.1%; Chega 23.5%; Liberal Initiative 15.9%; Independent backed by Popular Monarchist Party 12.4%; Social Democrat 11.4%; 3 small parties of the left received a total of 4.5% - TOTAL vote for parties of the right 63.2%

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ORIGINAL POST;

Six years ago, Portugal's populist nationalist anti-immigration Chega (Enough!) Party had only one seat in parliament.  Now it is the second largest party in parliament and the official opposition.  In Sunday's election, exit polls are showing another milestone, as it has apparently won a slot in the country's presidential runoff on February 8 against the candidate of the Socialist Party.

The exit poll provided ranges rather than exact numbers. It placed Socialist Antureo Segura first with 30-35% of the vote followed by Chega's Andre Ventura with 20-24%. 

In third place was the candidate of the rightwing Liberal Initiative which advocates lower taxes, less regulation, smaller government, and protecting personal freedoms like free speech, with 17-21%.   A retired admiral running as an independent with the backing of the Popular Monarchist Party (which wants to restore the Royal House of Braganza to the throne) was fourth with 11 to 14%, and the governing center-right Social Democrats (a leftist sounding name they adopted to appease the leftwing military junta after the Carnation Revolution and it stuck) were fifth at 8 to11%..  Three other minor candidates were in low single digits.

In parliamentary campaigns, the Popular Monarchists have traditionally run as part of an electoral alliance headed and dominated by the Social Democrats, so it is interesting to see the candidate they are backing running stronger than the Social Democrat candidate. The biggest gainer from the parliamentary election 8 months ago was the Liberal Initiative.  The Socialists seem to have picked up much of the vote cast for smaller leftwing parties for parliament.

Given the overall strong showing by parties of the right, Ventura should be well placed for the runoff.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/portugal-chega-historic-presidential-runoff-elections/