Portuguese voters go to the polls this Sunday (18) to choose the successor to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has already served two five-year terms. 
Voting began at 8 a.m. local time – 5 a.m. in Brasilia. It will close at 7pm in mainland Portugal and Madeira Island, and at 8pm in the Azores ─ 4pm and 5pm in Brazil.
Related news:
- European Union holds emergency meeting after Trump’s threats.
- Brazil and Portugal want to speed up Mercosur-European Union agreement.
According to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, 21% of voters had cast their ballots by 12pm local time ─ 9am in Brasilia.
This is the face-to-face election with the largest number of presidential candidates ever held in Portugal, with 11 contestants, and there will be a second round if none of the candidates obtains more than 50% of the votes. In this case, the new election will be held on February 8.
The election will be held in the second round.
The last time the Portuguese elections for president had a second round was in 1986.
Among the candidates with the most voting intentions in the electoral polls are Luís Marques Mendes (PSD), António José Seguro (PS), André Ventura (Chega), José Cotrim de Figueiredo (Liberal Initiative) and Henrique Gouveia e Melo (Independent).
The inauguration of the next President of the Republic will be on March 9, a date that has been the same since 1986.
*With information from RTP
Original Article: Portugal vai às urnas para eleger presidente neste domingo
Author: Agência Brasil*
