Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 27 June 1976.
With a broad base of support that comprised the center-left and the center-right, Ramalho Eanes won the election on the first round and became the first elected President of Portugal after the Carnation Revolution.
The Portuguese Communist Party presented its own candidate, Octávio Pato, a well known anti-fascist. Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, a key figure during the Carnation Revolution in 1974, was also a candidate. Eanes was sworn in as President on 14 July 1976.
Any Portuguese citizen over 35 years old has the opportunity to run for president. In order to do so it was necessary to gather between 7500 and 15000 signatures and submit them to the Supreme Court of Justice.
According to the Portuguese Constitution, to be elected, a candidate needs a majority of votes. If no candidate gets this majority there will take place a second round between the two most voted candidates.
There was also one candidate rejected by the Portuguese Constitutional Court for not complying with the legal requirements: