The 2026 Portuguese Socialist Party leadership election was held on 13 and 14 March 2026 to elect a new Secretary-General of the Socialist Party. This election was called after concerns about the validity of the previous ballot, since that election was only to fill the rest of Pedro Nuno Santos' term, that expired in early 2026.
José Luís Carneiro announced his candidacy for a second term as Secretary-general on the election night of the first round of the 2026 presidential election. Despite pressures from Duarte Cordeiro and other hypothetical candidates, Carneiro was the sole candidate for the party's leadership, being elected with 97.1% of the votes.
Candidates Declared Name Born Experience Announcement date Ref.José Luís Carneiro(age 54)BaiãoSecretary-general of the Socialist Party (since 2025)Member 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)18 January 2026
Declined
Duarte Cordeiro – former Minister of the Environment (2022–2024)
Results + Summary of the March 2026 PS leadership election results Candidate13–14 March 2026 Votes % José Luís Carneiro 21,443 97.13 Total 21,443 Valid votes 21,443 97.13 Invalid and blank ballots 643 2.87 Votes cast / turnout 22,076 ~55.60 Registered voters ? Sources: Official results
References