The 2025 Portuguese Socialist Party leadership election was held on 27 and 28 June 2025 to elect a new Secretary General of the party following the defeat in the 2025 Portuguese legislative election. The election was called by Pedro Nuno Santos after achieving a disappointing third place and losing the status of leader of the opposition with him resigning and not seeking reelection.
After the Party President and acting Secretary General Carlos César declaring that the election will be held either in the last week of June or the first of July, Mariana Vieira da Silva and Fernando Medina, both highly speculated names of the Costista wing of the party to run for Secretary General, as well as Duarte Cordeiro and Alexandra Leitão, two of the closest alies of Pedro Nuno Santos and members of the left-wing faction of the party, declined to run in name of party unity and because of the short time necessary to prepare a candidacy. Because of this José Luís Carneiro, a high-profile member of the Segurista faction and Centrist wing of the party, and runner-up of the previous internal election, was expected to be the sole candidate.
This election, however, was not free from controversy with several prominent party members and leaders criticizing the speed with which Carneiro announced his candidacy, arguing that the party needed more time to reflect on the results, focus on the local elections with César leading the party and only then have the internal elections. One of these high-profile members was Mariana Vieira da Silva, considered to be the right-hand woman of António Costa and a member of Pedro Nuno Santos' national secretariat. , a television commentator and runner-up in the 2025 internal election for the Lisbon Urban Area Federation also considered a candidacy for the party leadership, rejecting that there is a broad consensus regarding Carneiro's candidacy, but ultimately decided not to run. After the deadline to submit candidacies was passed, Carneiro was the only candidate to submit a candidacy, making him Secretary-General elect. On election day, Carneiro was confirmed as party leader winning more than 95% of the votes.
Candidates
Declared Name Born Experience Announcement date Ref.José Luís Carneiro(age 53)BaiãoMember of Parliament for Braga (since 2024)Minister of Internal Administration (2022–2024)Deputy Secretary-general of the Socialist Party (2019–2022)Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities (2015–2019)Mayor of Baião (2005–2015)Member of Parliament for Porto (2005; 2015–2022)19 May 2025
Declined Ana Catarina Mendes – Member of the European Parliament (since 2024), former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (2022–2024); former Deputy Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (2015–2029); former Member of the Assembly of the Republic for Setúbal (1995–2024) (endorsed José Luís Carneiro) Alexandra Leitão – former president of the Socialist Party's Parliamentary group (2024–2025); former Member of Parliament for Santarém (2022–2025) and former Minister for the Modernization of the State and Public Administration (2019–2022) (running for Mayor of Lisbon) Daniel Adrião – candidate for the party's leadership in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2023 Duarte Cordeiro – former Minister of the Environment and Climate Action (2022–2024); former Member of the Assembly of the Republic for Setúbal (2011–2015) and Lisbon (2009–2011) and former Secretary-General of the Socialist Youth (2008–2010) Fernando Medina – former Member of Parliament for Lisbon (2022–2025), Viana do Castelo (2011–2013) and Beja (2009); former Minister of Finance (2022–2024) and Mayor of Lisbon (2015–2021) Francisco Assis – Member of the European Parliament (since 2024, also 2004–2009 and 2014–2019); former Member of the Assembly of the Republic for Porto (2024, 2011–2014, 1995–2004) and Guarda (2009–2011); former Mayor of Amarante (1989–1995) (endorsed José Luís Carneiro) Mariana Vieira da Silva – Member of Parliament for Lisbon (since 2024); former Minister of the Presidency (2019–2024) Marta Temido – Member of the European Parliament (since 2024); former Minister of Health (2018–2022); former Member of the Assembly of the Republic for Lisbon (2024) and Coimbra (2022–2024) Miguel Prata Roque – former Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (2015–2017)
Notable endorsements
Opinion polling
All voters Polling firmFieldwork dateSample sizeJosé Luís CarneiroFernando MedinaSérgio Sousa PintoAlexandra LeitãoMariana Vieira da SilvaFrancisco AssisAna Catarina MendesDuarte CordeiroLuísa SalgueiroDaniel AdriãoO./U.LeadIntercampus5–15 Jun 202561623.913.56.810.42.842.710.4Pitagórica28–31 May 202550032121166532102220
Results Candidate 27 & 28 June 2025 Votes % José Luís Carneiro 17,434 95.46 Total 17,434 Valid votes 17,434 95.46 Invalid and blank ballots 829 4.54 Votes cast / turnout 18,263 48.90 Registered voters ~37,330 Source:
Aftermath Because a party congress, to confirm the newly elected leader and elect his leadership team, wasn't held after the election, questions arose about the validity of this vote. According to the party's statutes, holding a party congress following a leadership vote is mandatory, meaning that, without a party congress to confirm his election, Carneiro's leadership could be labeled as interim, thus forcing a new leadership ballot at short notice. The party's parliamentary leader, Eurico Brilhante Dias, later confirmed that the election of Carneiro was only to complete the term left vacant by former party leader Pedro Nuno Santos, which was due to expire in early 2026. A new leadership ballot was called for 13 and 14 March 2026, with a party congress between 27 and 29 March.
References