List of presidents of Portugal facts for kids

• Top left: Teófilo Braga was the President of the Provisional Government.
• Top right: Óscar Carmona served as head of state for the longest time.
• Bottom left: António Ramalho Eanes was the first president chosen in a democratic election.
• Bottom right: António José Seguro is the current president.

This article shares a list of all the presidents and leaders who have guided Portugal since it became a republic on 5 October 1910. Before this date, Portugal was a kingdom with monarchs. After the 1910 revolution, Portugal became a republic, meaning its leader is a president, not a king or queen.

Some leaders on this list were not officially called 'President' at first, but they acted as the country's main leader. For example, Teófilo Braga led the first temporary government after the change. Other leaders like Sidónio Pais and Óscar Carmona also held the top position without being officially sworn in as president right away.

Understanding Portugal's Presidents

How Presidents Are Chosen

When you look at the list, you'll see a number for each president. If a president served two terms in a row, like Jorge Sampaio, they are counted as one president. But if someone like Bernardino Machado served, then left, and then came back to serve again, they get two different numbers on the list. This is why there are more 'presidencies' (times someone was president) than actual people who have been president.

Since 1976, after a big change in Portugal called the Carnation Revolution, presidents are chosen for a five-year period. They can be re-elected for a second term right after their first. After two terms, they must wait five years before they can run for president again.

The President's Home

The official home of the president of Portugal is a special place called the Belém Palace.

The current president of Portugal is António José Seguro. He was chosen in the 2026 election.

Leaders of the Portuguese Republic

The colors below show the political group each president belonged to.

      Republican
      Democratic
      National Republican
      Evolutionist Party/Republican Liberal
      National Union/Popular National Action
      Democratic Renewal
      Socialist
      Social Democratic
      Independent
      Interim Leader

First Republic: Early Leaders (1910–1926)

No.	Portrait	President (Lifespan)	Term of office			Election	Party		Ref.
			Start	End	Duration
-		Teófilo Braga (1843–1924)	5 October 1910	24 August 1911	333 days	—		Republican
Presidents of the Republic (1911–1926)
1		Manuel de Arriaga (1840–1917)	24 August 1911	26 May 1915	3 years, 278 days	1911		Republican later Democratic
2		Teófilo Braga (1843–1924)	29 May 1915	5 October 1915	129 days	May 1915		Democratic
3		Bernardino Machado (1851–1944)	5 October 1915	5 December 1917	2 years, 60 days	August 1915		Democratic
-		Ministry (Head of State ex officio) President: Sidónio Pais	12 December 1917	28 April 1918	137 days	—		Independent
4		Sidónio Pais (1872–1918)	28 April 1918	14 December 1918	230 days	April 1918		National Republican
-		Ministry (Head of State ex officio) President: João do Canto e Castro	14 December 1918	16 December 1918	2 days	—		National Republican
5		João do Canto e Castro (1862–1934)	16 December 1918	5 October 1919	293 days	December 1918		National Republican
6		António José de Almeida (1866–1929)	5 October 1919	5 October 1923	4 years	1919		Evolutionist later Republican Liberal
7		Manuel Teixeira Gomes (1860–1941)	5 October 1923	11 December 1925	2 year, 67 days	1923		Democratic
8		Bernardino Machado (1851–1944) 2nd time	11 December 1925	31 May 1926	171 days	1925		Democratic

Second Republic: A New Era (1926–1974)

No.	Portrait	President (Lifespan)	Term of office			Election	Party		Ref.
			Start	End	Duration
National Dictatorship (1926–1932)
9		José Mendes Cabeçadas (1883–1965)	31 May 1926	17 June 1926	17 days	—		Independent
-		Ministry (Head of State ex officio) President: Manuel Gomes da Costa	17 June 1926	29 June 1926	12 days	—		Independent
10		Manuel Gomes da Costa (1863–1929)	29 June 1926	9 July 1926	10 days	—		Independent
-		Ministry (Head of State ex officio) President: Óscar Carmona	9 July 1926	16 November 1926	130 days	—		Independent
11		Óscar Carmona (1869–1951)	16 November 1926	15 April 1928	1 year, 149 days	—		Independent from 1932 National Union
	New State (1932–1974)
		Óscar Carmona (1869–1951)	15 April 1928	18 April 1951	22 years, 362 days	1928 1935 1942 1949
-		António de Oliveira Salazar (1889–1970) (interim)	18 April 1951	21 July 1951	93 days	—		National Union
12		Francisco Craveiro Lopes (1894–1964)	21 July 1951	9 August 1958	7 years, 19 days	1951		National Union
13		Américo Tomás (1894–1987)	9 August 1958	25 April 1974	15 years, 259 days	1958 1965 1972		National Union from 1970 People's National Action

Third Republic: Modern Portugal (1974–Present)

No.	Portrait	President (Lifespan)	Term of office			Election	Party		Ref.
			Start	End	Duration
Presidents appointed after the Carnation Revolution (1974–1976)
-	National Salvation Junta President: António de Spínola		25 April 1974	15 May 1974	20 days	—		Independent
14		António de Spínola (1910–1996)	15 May 1974	30 September 1974	138 days	—		Independent
15		Francisco da Costa Gomes (1914–2001)	30 September 1974	14 July 1976	1 year, 288 days	—		Independent
Presidents elected under the Constitution of the Republic (1976–present)
16		António Ramalho Eanes (born 1935)	14 July 1976	9 March 1986	9 years, 238 days	1976 1980		Independent from 1985 0Democratic Renewal0
17		Mário Soares (1924–2017)	9 March 1986	9 March 1996	10 years	1986 1991		Socialist
18		Jorge Sampaio (1939–2021)	9 March 1996	9 March 2006	10 years	1996 2001		Socialist
19		Aníbal Cavaco Silva (born 1939)	9 March 2006	9 March 2016	10 years	2006 2011		Social Democratic
20		Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (born 1948)	9 March 2016	9 March 2026	10 years	2016 2021		Social Democratic
21		António José Seguro (born 1962)	9 March 2026	Incumbent	3 days	2026		Socialist

• Assassinated: The president died because of an attack.
• Died in office: The president passed away while still serving.
• Resigned: The president chose to step down from their role.
• Forced to resign: The president had to leave office because of a sudden change in government.

Timeline of Portuguese Presidents

Timeline of Presidents of Portugal (1910–present)

Where Presidents Were Born

Who Served the Longest?

See Also

• President of Portugal
• First Lady of Portugal
• List of heads of state of Portugal
• List of prime ministers of Portugal
• List of Portuguese monarchs
• Prime Minister of Portugal
• Politics of Portugal
• History of Portugal
  • History of Portugal (1910–1926)
  • History of Portugal (1926–1932)
  • History of Portugal (1932–1974)
  • History of Portugal (1974–1986)
  • History of Portugal (1986–2000)
  • History of Portugal (2000–present)
• Timeline of Portuguese history