Voting for the Portuguese presidential elections opened in Luxembourg on Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s polling day in Portugal, where a new head of state will be elected.
Several candidates are in a close race. Frontrunners include Luís Marques Mendes of the conservative Social Democratic Party (PSD), André Ventura of the right-wing Chega party, António José Seguro of the socialist PS party, and independent candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo. However, the contest is likely to be decided by a run-off election on 8 February.
Just under 11 million people are eligible to vote, including Portuguese citizens living in Luxembourg. Polling stations at the Portuguese consulate in Luxembourg City opened at 8am on Saturday. Ambassador Pedro Sousa e Abreu noted strong early turnout, saying there were already “many more people here to vote than in the last election.”
