Presidential Candidates Clash Over Protecting or Rewriting Portugal’s Constitution

Portugal’s presidential contest has shifted from polite overtures to pointed constitutional debate. Socialist secretary-general José Luís Carneiro denounced liberal hopeful João Cotrim Figueiredo as "unprepared" for the Palácio de Belém and accused far-right firebrand André Ventura of plotting to "tear up" the 1976 Constitution. Their clash, more than personal sparring, lays bare a deeper question: should the next head of state act as guardian of the existing charter or architect of a new one?

The Essentials in Brief

• 18 January: first round of the presidential election.

• Carneiro backs António José Seguro as the "only guarantee" of constitutional continuity.

• João Cotrim Figueiredo says a vote for Ventura is a vote for Seguro, yet hints he could endorse Ventura in a runoff.

• André Ventura embraces the prospect of Cotrim’s support, while dismissing the liberal as a "bloquista in a suit".

• Constitutional scholars warn that several Chega proposals have already been branded unconstitutional by Parliament’s legal experts.

A Campaign Defined by the Charter

Carneiro chose a campaign lunch in Porto to cast the election as a referendum on the 1976 Constitution’s future. Praising Seguro as a "president for everyone", he juxtaposed that image with what he labelled Cotrim’s improvised plan to place governments "under the political tutelage" of the presidency. Ventura, Carneiro argued, goes further by promoting ideas that would “break with the constitutional order”—from granting the president power over health-service targets to advocating life sentences and physical castration for certain crimes.

Liberal Counter-punch and Right-Wing Chess Moves

Cotrim Figueiredo, the former Iniciativa Liberal leader, downplayed the attack. Four days ago he told reporters, "Voting Ventura equals electing Seguro", positioning himself as the only true alternative to the socialist favourite. Yet on 12 January he startled supporters by refusing to rule out endorsing Ventura if the ballot narrows to a Socialist–Chega duel. He insisted the Chega leader had "moderated his tone" in recent days—an assessment many analysts find optimistic.

Ventura seized on Cotrim’s flirtation as validation, saying he would welcome "any democrat" willing to defeat Seguro, but could not resist branding the liberal a "bloquista de fato e gravata"—a Left Bloc activist in designer threads. Behind the bravado, Ventura repeated that Portugal needs a “new, modern constitution” that boosts presidential powers and curbs what he calls systemic corruption.

PSD’s Calculated Distance

Prime minister and PSD boss Luís Montenegro has tried to float above the cross-fire. Earlier this month he labelled both Ventura and retired admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo “populists”, urging centre-right voters to rally behind Luís Marques Mendes. However, when Carneiro launched his constitutional broadside, Montenegro replied that Seguro remains the candidate who "guarantees the defence of our Constitution"—a remark opponents see as a tacit endorsement rather than neutrality.

What the Lawyers Are Saying

Academic jurists largely side with Carneiro’s alarm. Lisbon University scholar Teresa Violante notes that several Chega initiatives—prison labour, life sentences, mandatory nationality for ministers—were declared incompatible with article 288, the unalterable core of the charter. A 5 January ruling by the Constitutional Court also slapped down a Chega-backed nationality bill, citing proportionality and anti-statelessness clauses. "Proposing a referendum on deputies’ head-count is politically seductive," Violante observes, "but legally impossible without prior constitutional change."

Cotrim’s blueprint has drawn lighter fire, though critics argue that putting a sitting government "under presidential supervision" blurs the separation of powers. "It sounds efficient," says Braga-based professor Miguel Prata Roque, "yet it risks turning the president into a semi-executive figure—a model our Constitution explicitly avoided after 1974."

Why It Matters Beyond the Bubble

For voters juggling mortgage rates, hospital queues and rail strikes, talk of article numbers can appear abstract. Still, the debate influences everyday life:

• Presidential vetoes decide whether tax packages reach your payslip.

• Constitutional guardianship shapes long-term rights from public healthcare to privacy laws.

• A head of state bent on revision could trigger months of parliamentary bargaining—delaying legislation on housing or green subsidies that families and businesses are counting on.

With polls showing up to 25% undecided, the next few days will test whether constitutional fears or anti-system fervour carry more weight. Whatever the outcome, the result will set not only the tone in Belém but the very rules of the game for Portugal’s democracy.