2026 in Portugal
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- President – Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (until 9 March); António José Seguro (since 9 March)
- Prime Minister – Luís Montenegro (Social Democratic)
Events
January
- 7–8 January – Three people die due to delays, and problems, in emergency medical services from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM).[1]
- 9 January – Guimarães begins its programming as the 2026 European Green Capital city.[2]
- 18 January – 2026 Portuguese presidential election (first round): No candidate wins an overall majority, with António José Seguro and André Ventura heading to a runoff with 31.1% and 23.5% of respective votes.[3] This will be the second time that a direct Portuguese presidential election required a runoff, the first one being in 1986.[4]
- 20 January – Police arrest 37 suspects linked to an ultra far-right network accused of racially-motivated hate crimes, seizing weapons and neo-Nazi materials during a nationwide operation targeting Grupo 1143.[5][6]
- 26 January – Authorities announce the seizure of nine tonnes of cocaine and the arrest of four foreign nationals from Latin America aboard a narcosubmarine off the Azores.[7]
- 28 January – Storm Kristin causes a catastrophic impact with gusts of 208.8 km/h (129.7 mph) in Soure and unofficially 238 km/h (148 mph) in Lavos, which resulted in €6 billion in damage in the central region of Portugal, 14 deaths and 2,000 injuries. [8][9]
- 29 January – A state of calamity is decreed by the government for the areas affected by Storm Kristin.[10]
February
- 5 February – Storm Leonardo hits Portugal, raising red alerts for river flooding, flash floods, and heavy rain.[11]
- 8 February – 2026 Portuguese presidential election (second round): António José Seguro is elected President of the Republic with 67% of the votes, against André Ventura's 33%.[12]
- 10 February – Maria Lúcia Amaral resigns as home affairs minister, following criticism over the response to the 2026 European storm training. It is the first resignation of Montenegro's second government, eight months after taking office.[13]
- 11 February – Part of the A1 motorway, the most important highway in the country, collapses near Coimbra following a flood caused by a collapsed levee of the Mondego River.[14]
- 19 February –
- Two 4.1 magnitude earthquakes are felt in Lisbon district and its surroundings. No damage or victims are reported.[15]
- 124 people are arrested by the Public Security Police following clashes between S.L. Benfica and Sporting CP fans before a futsal match.[16]
- 23 February – Luís Neves, until then Director of Judiciary Police, takes office as Minister of Home Affairs.[17]
- 27 February – Full reopening of the A1 motorway in Coimbra following repair works due to floods.[18]
March
- 9 March – António José Seguro is sworn in as President of Portugal, succeeding Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.[19]
- 20 March – The Assembly of the Republic repeals the 2018 law on the right to self-determination of gender identity, by reintroducing the requirement for medical validation for gender reassignment and banning puberty blockers.[20]
- 21 March – An anarchist is arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail against participants in the "March for Life", in Lisbon.[21][22]
- 26 March – The Portuguese Catholic Church announces it will pay €1,6 million ($1,85 million) in financial compensations to 57 victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.[23]
April
- 1 April – A new nationality law is approved by the Assembly of the Republic, in response to several parts of the previous proposal that were rejected by the Constitutional Court in November 2025.[24]
- 2 April – The 1976 Constitution marks 50 years since its approval.[25]
- 13 April – The Portuguese government requests support from the European Union Solidarity Fund due to the winter storms.[26]
- 24 April – The Judiciary Police arrested a man who tried to sell 278 paintings, some possibly by Pablo Picasso to Joan Miró, illegally in the black market.[27]
Scheduled
- 12 August – A total solar eclipse is predicted to occur at the Moon's descending node of the orbit in North America and Europe. The total eclipse will pass over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, northeastern Portugal and northern Spain.[28]
Art and entertainment
Holidays
Source:[29]
- 1 January – New Year's Day
- 3 April – Good Friday
- 5 April – Easter Sunday
- 25 April – Freedom Day
- 1 May – Labour Day
- 4 June – Feast of Corpus Christi
- 10 June – Portugal Day
- 15 August – Assumption Day
- 5 October – Republic Day
- 1 November – All Saints' Day
- 1 December – Independence Restoration Day
- 8 December – Immaculate Conception
- 25 December – Christmas Day
Deaths
- 13 January – José Rodrigo, 91, MP (1985–1987).[30]
- 27 January –
- António Chainho, 88, fado guitarist.[31]
- Fernando Mamede, 74, athlete and long distance running specialist.[32]
- 29 January – João Canijo, 68, film director.[33]
- 5 February – Joana Lopes, 87, systems engineer and anti-fascist.[34]
- 5 March – António Lobo Antunes, 83, novelist and retired medical doctor.[35]
- 25 March – José Maria Ricciardi, 71, economist and banker.[36]
- 31 March – Armando Alves, 90, painter.[37]
- 6 April – Álvaro Cassuto, 87, composer and conductor.[38]
