Catarina Martins
Catarina Martins was the only woman among the eleven candidates who contested Portugal’s presidential election on January 18, 2026. A second round was held on February 8 after no candidate won an outright majority, but Martins did not advance to the runoff. She entered the race as a non-incumbent candidate affiliated with the Left Bloc, the party she led nationally for more than a decade.
Born in Porto in 1973, Martins spent part of her childhood in São Tomé and Príncipe and Cabo Verde, where her parents worked as teachers and development cooperation workers. She returned to Portugal with her family at the age of nine. Martins initially studied law at the University of Coimbra before changing academic direction. She later earned a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures and a master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Porto, and she also pursued doctoral studies in Language Didactics.
Before entering national politics, Martins built a career in theater and cultural work. She co-founded the Visões Úteis theater company in Porto and worked as an actress, director, and cultural organizer. She was elected to Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic in 2009, representing Porto, and remained in parliament until 2023. From 2012 to 2023, she served as National Coordinator of the Left Bloc, becoming one of the most recognizable figures of the Portuguese left. In 2024, she was elected to the European Parliament. Martins’ presidential campaign focused heavily on the protection of democratic institutions and social rights. She argued for an active presidency that would defend Portugal’s Constitution, workers’ rights, gender equality, and political pluralism, while also encouraging broader citizen participation in public life. A second major focus was the protection of public services and household economic security. Martins called for stronger access to public healthcare, affordable housing, public education, and higher wages, while also emphasizing the need to reduce inequality and pursue climate policies that would not disproportionately burden lower- and middle-income households.
If elected, Martins said she would use the presidency to defend democratic accountability and reinforce the social protections established in Portugal’s constitutional system.
