Quem são os portugueses
que votam em 2026?

Ana Catarina Figueiredo

to matter. To see former students succeed, maybe even come back. To feel like I chose to stay, not that I'm trapped."

"I want my work to matter. To see former students succeed, maybe even come back. To feel like I chose to stay, not that I..."

André Filipe Oliveira

Bragança (from there; studying in Porto) |

+ family support |

"I want to love openly without fear. To have a partner I can introduce to my family. To help others who are struggling li..."

António "Tó" Silva Moreira

Porto industrial belt |

with their hands, they don't complain, they get by. But Tó watches the news and feels the ground shifting. Chinese competition, automation, young people who don't want factory work, politicians who seem to think Portugal's future is "tech startups and tourism."

"I want to make it to retirement with my health intact. Get my pension, watch Catarina succeed, maybe finally have time t..."

Beatriz Almeida

Coimbra Student / Recent Graduate

that uses what I've learned. I want to be able to stay in Portugal without feeling like I'm choosing poverty. I want a life, not just survival."

"I want meaningful work that uses what I've learned. I want to be able to stay in Portugal without feeling like I'm choos..."

Celestino Manuel Domingos

the former metropole, speaks the colonizer's language, sends his children to Portuguese schools. The irony isn't lost on him. He's made peace with it—pragmatism over principle—but he notices when Portuguese people romanticize colonialism or complain about "too many Africans."

(somewhat strict father), but also in fairness and equal treatment regardless of origin (nurturant). His politics are shaped by being both successful enough to value individual achievement and marginalized enough to see structural barriers.

"I want to see my children succeed. To be recognized for what I've built. To one day feel fully settled—neither guest nor..."

Cristina Alves Duarte

until 5:00 or 6:00 (whenever the shift ends), pick up kids, homework, dinner, bed, repeat. Weekends are cleaning, shopping, catching up on sleep. There's no time for herself, no money for extras, no partner to share the load.

"I just want to stop worrying. One month without calculating if I can afford food. One week off. A day when nothing break..."

Diogo Nascimento

feels meaningful. He organizes protests, writes policy briefs, speaks to journalists, and spends too many evenings in meetings.

"I want my work to matter. To look back and know I fought for the right things. To build a life with Ana that reflects ou..."

Fernanda de Jesus Correia

14 anos · every room.

was often informal, undeclared, as most women's work was in those days. Her daughter in Lisbon sends €100/month when she can. Her daughter in France visits once a year, sends money at Christmas.

"I want to stay in my home until the end. Not a nursing home, not a hospital—here, where Manuel and I lived. If I could s..."

Fernando Costa Pereira

than running the business."

"I want to pass something sustainable to Nuno. Retire knowing the business will survive, that the employees will keep the..."

Inês Guerreiro

Algarve Tourism Worker

the same seasonal grind or married tourists and got out that way.

"I want a place I can stay. Not move every year. Maybe save enough for a down payment someday. Have some stability before..."

Joaquim Pereira Lopes

to security) |

"I just want to reach retirement without another disaster. Keep my health, see my daughter when she visits, live quietly."

José Manuel Rosado

Alentejo Farmer

farm) |

"I want to die on this land, not in some Lisbon hospital where nobody knows my name. I want to work until I can't, then r..."

Jéssica Oliveira da Silva

of Brazilians who understand. The pastor talks about family values, hard work, God's plan. Some members support Bolsonaro; others fled him. They don't discuss politics much.

"I want stability. A contract with real hours. Maybe to finish my degree someday. To bring my mother here to meet her gra..."

Major Carlos Eduardo Mendes

"The military serves Portugal regardless of government. That's our duty. But it's hard to serve when you're underfunded a..."

Manuel Joaquim Ferreira dos Santos

Trás-os-Montes) |

about what's happening "back home

"I hope Portugal thrives. That young people can stay—not leave like I did. That the villages don't die. That it becomes a..."

Maria Helena Gouveia Nunes

Madeira Retiree

"I worked 35 years cleaning rooms. My hands are ruined. My pension doesn't cover my medicine. Politicians come to Funchal..."

Maria do Céu Baptista

and his construction jobs. Her children worry and call daily, but moving to the city is unthinkable.

"I want to die in grace, with a priest's blessing, and be buried next to Joaquim. I want to know my children and grandchi..."

Mariana Santos

Arroios, Lisboa

Designer de UX em startup tecnológica

"Quero que ficar em Portugal seja uma escolha real, não um sacrifício. Quero o meu próprio apartamento, talvez um cão, ev..."

Miguel Soares Teixeira

permanent. The children were getting older, asking about avós they barely knew. Property prices in Amsterdam became insane. Portugal introduced tax incentives for returnees. In 2023, they made the leap.

"I hope this was the right choice. That my kids grow up knowing their roots. That I don't regret disrupting our stable li..."

Nigel Pemberton

Algarve (Lagos area) |

|

"A peaceful retirement. Health lasting. Grandchildren visiting. Portugal staying the Portugal we came to."

Oksana Petrenko

+ volunteer interpreter |

"Victory. Real victory, not negotiated surrender. Putin punished. Ukraine rebuilt. A future worth returning to."

Patrícia Alexandra Neves Fonseca

Coimbra |

in Switzerland | High |

"I hope I can find a way back. Maybe remote work, maybe later career. I want to be there for my parents while I can."

Paulo Jorge Medeiros

Açores) |

and self-reliance but also knows that islands need support structures. He's not anti-government—he works for it—but thinks Lisbon misunderstands island realities. He values community responsibility.

"I want to retire here, stay healthy, and maybe have grandchildren who know what the Azores are. Not just visitors—Azorea..."

Rajesh Kumar Thapa

conditions**: "Twelve hours in August sun. Some men collapse."

"I want to bring my family here. Or save enough to go home and start a business. One or the other—but not this in-between..."

Ricardo e Carla Ferreira

Porto Middle-Class Family

|

"I want to pay off this mortgage, see my kids graduate, maybe retire at 65 with some dignity. Is that too much to ask?"

Rui Miguel Fernandes

Amadora, Grande Lisboa

Estafeta (Uber Eats, Glovo)

"Quero um emprego a sério. Não biscates — um emprego com contrato, benefícios, férias. Algo em que possa construir. E ver..."

Sérgio Monteiro

Alentejo) |

with family) |

"I want my children to have choices I didn't. University if they want it. Jobs that don't depend on weather and police pe..."

Sónia Martins

12 hours in emergency. Then tell me we don't need to invest in healthcare."

"I want to feel proud of my job again, not just exhausted. I want to see my son grow up without always being too tired to..."

Tiago Ramos Henriques

Porto |

was brutal—employers see the wheelchair first, qualifications second. Finding housing was worse—accessible apartments barely exist, cost more, and landlords hesitate. Dating is complicated; independence requires constant negotiation.

"I'm not asking for special treatment—just equal access. Try navigating Lisbon Metro in a wheelchair. Try finding an adap..."

Tyler Richardson

an English-language information bubble.

(US clients) |

"I want to keep this freedom as long as possible. Maybe build something here, maybe settle, maybe move on. Keep options o..."

Vítor Manuel Carvalho

"They call us dinosaurs—the union, the communists, the working class. But who do they think builds the country? My father..."

Wilson Tavares Semedo

Amadora, Grande Lisboa

Coordenador de logística em armazém

"Quero comprar um apartamento um dia. Construir uma carreira. Talvez ter filhos que não tenham de explicar de onde são "r..."