António José Seguro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids António José Seguro
Seguro in 2025
21st President of Portugal
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 March 2026
Prime Minister	Luís Montenegro
Preceded by	Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
In office 23 July 2011 – 28 September 2014
President	António de Almeida Santos Maria de Belém Roseira
Preceded by	José Sócrates
Succeeded by	António Costa
Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister
In office 3 July 2001 – 8 April 2002
Prime Minister	António Guterres
Preceded by	Armando Vara
Succeeded by	José Luís Arnaut
Secretary-General of the Socialist Youth
In office 29 April 1990 – 6 March 1994
Preceded by	José Apolinário
Succeeded by	Sérgio Sousa Pinto
Senior political offices Leader of the Opposition In office 23 July 2011 – 28 September 2014 Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho Preceded by José Sócrates Succeeded by Maria de Belém Roseira (acting)
Junior cabinet offices Secretary of State Assistant to the Prime Minister In office 25 November 1997 – 20 July 1999 Prime Minister António Guterres Preceded by Luís Marques Guedes Succeeded by Vitalino Canas Secretary of State for Youth Affairs In office 28 October 1995 – 25 November 1997 Prime Minister António Guterres Preceded by Maria do Céu Ramos Succeeded by Miguel Fontes
Parliamentary offices President of the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party In office 31 March 2004 – 9 March 2005 Preceded by António Costa Succeeded by Alberto Martins Member of the Assembly of the Republic In office 10 March 2005 – 8 October 2014 Constituency Braga In office 5 April 2002 – 9 March 2005 Constituency Lisbon In office 4 November 1991 – 26 October 1995 Constituency Porto Member of the European Parliament In office 20 July 1999 – 2 July 2001 Constituency Portugal
Personal details
Born	António José Martins Seguro (1962-03-11) 11 March 1962 (age 64) Penamacor, Castelo Branco, Portugal
Political party	Socialist Party (since 1980)
Spouse	Margarida Freitas ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	2
Alma mater	ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute Autonomous University of Lisbon
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António José Martins Seguro (born March 11, 1962) is a Portuguese politician. He is the current President of Portugal, having started his term on March 9, 2026. He won the 2026 Portuguese presidential election. Before becoming President, Seguro was the leader of the Socialist Party (PS) from 2011 to 2014. During that time, he also served as the leader of the opposition in the Portuguese parliament.

Early Life and Learning

António Seguro was born on March 11, 1962, in Penamacor, Portugal. He was the youngest of three sons. His family mostly worked in farming. His father, Domingos, owned a newsagent's shop.

Seguro became interested in politics when he was very young. He joined the Socialist Party (PS) as a youth member. He studied business management at the ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute. Later, he earned a degree in international relations from the Autonomous University of Lisbon.

A Journey in Politics

António Seguro's political journey began early. He was always connected to the Socialist Party (PS).

Starting in Youth Politics

He served as the leader of the Socialist Youth. He also chaired the National Youth Council. Seguro was also the head of the Youth Forum of the European Communities. He was first elected to the Portuguese Parliament in 1991.

Serving as a Minister and MEP

In 1995, the Socialist Party won the elections. António Guterres formed the government. Seguro first became the Secretary of State for Youth Affairs. Later, in 1997, he was a special assistant to the Prime Minister. He also led the Socialist Party's Standing Committee. He was the president of the Municipal Assembly of Penamacor.

In 1999, Seguro was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). This meant he represented Portugal in the European Parliament. He worked on important reports about the future of Europe. He also led the delegation for relations with Central America and Mexico.

Seguro left his role as an MEP in 2001. He became a Minister in the Prime Minister's Cabinet. He returned to the Portuguese Parliament in 2002. From 2004 to 2005, he led the Socialist group in parliament. He also served on the National Secretariat of the Socialist Party.

Leading the Socialist Party

Seguro on the election night of the 2014 European Parliament election

In 2011, the Prime Minister José Sócrates resigned as the Socialist Party leader. Seguro was then elected as the new leader. He won with 68% of the votes.

As the party's leader, Seguro made important decisions. He led the party to good results in local elections in 2013. The party also won the European Parliament elections in 2014. However, the victory was by a small margin. This led to António Costa challenging Seguro for the party leadership.

In 2014, António Costa defeated Seguro in the party's primary election. Seguro then stepped down as leader. After this, he took a break from politics. He completed his Master's degree. He then started teaching international relations at the Autonomous University of Lisbon.

The Path to Presidency

In October 2024, there was talk of Seguro running for President. He had been out of the public eye for a while. In November 2024, he gave an interview. He said he was interested in becoming President. He started working as a political commentator.

Seguro presented himself as a leading candidate. He founded a movement called UPortugal. This movement aimed to encourage more citizen participation. It also worked to fight against misinformation. In June 2025, he officially announced his presidential campaign. He said Portugal needed "change and hope." He offered a progressive choice against other candidates.

Seguro launched his campaign in June 2025. Many important Socialist Party figures supported him. He gained support from many party leaders and mayors. The Socialist Party officially backed him in October 2025. He formalized his candidacy in December 2025. He submitted 10,000 signatures to the Constitutional Court.

Becoming President of Portugal

Seguro delivering the victory speech on the night of the first round of the 2026 election

The 2026 Portuguese presidential election had its first round on January 18, 2026. No candidate won a majority of votes. Seguro received the most votes, with 31%. André Ventura came in second with 23.5%. These two candidates then faced each other in a second round. This was on February 8, 2026.

Seguro won the second round by a large margin. He beat André Ventura with 66.8% of the votes. He was elected the new President of Portugal. He received over 3.5 million votes, a record number. In his victory speech, he promised to be the President for "all, all, all of the Portuguese."

António José Seguro officially became President on March 9, 2026. The ceremony took place in the Assembly of the Republic. Many international leaders attended. These included King Felipe VI of Spain and presidents from several African countries and Timor-Leste.

Awards and Recognition

António Seguro has received several honors.

Portuguese Orders

As President, he is the Grand Master of the Honorific Orders of Portugal. This means he oversees all Portuguese national awards.

• Grand Master of the Honorific Orders of Portugal (2026 - present)

See also

In Spanish: António José Seguro para niños