The first round of the presidential election in Portugal started on Sunday. Since a total of eleven candidates are running to succeed the outgoing conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, it is considered almost impossible that an absolute majority will be achieved in the first round. Polls suggest a tight race, which will probably need to be decided in a runoff election on February 8th.
The focus of interest is Andr s Ventura, the chairman of the right-wing populist party Chega. Ventura, whose party became the strongest opposition force in last year's parliamentary elections, could enter the second round according to forecasts. In the election campaign, he particularly addressed migration policy and sharply criticized the country's political system. However, analysts point out that Ventura would face a major hurdle in a possible runoff election against moderate candidates due to high rejection rates.
Other promising applicants include Ant s nio Jos s Seguro from the socialist opposition, as well as Lu s s Marques Mendes, who is supported by the governing centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD). The independent candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo, a former Navy admiral, and Jo s o Cotrim de Figueiredo from the liberal Iniciativa Liberal are also given chances for the top spots.
Although the office of the President in Portugal has largely representative duties, the head of state plays a key role in times of political instability. Among other things, he has the power to dissolve Parliament and call for new elections. The polling stations closed in the evening, and the first preliminary results are expected late on Sunday.
