LISBON: More than 218,000 registered voters began casting ballots on Sunday through Portugal’s early and mobile voting system for the presidential elections, as the country prepares to choose a successor to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, reported Xinhua.
Sunday’s early voting took place one week ahead of the main election day on Jan. 18, using a flexible system that allows voters to cast ballots at any designated polling station nationwide.
Meanwhile, presidential candidates continued campaigning across the country, with most activities concentrated in northern regions.
The candidates in the race include Antonio Jose Seguro, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Luis Marques Mendes, and Joao Cotrim de Figueiredo, among others.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority in the first round, a runoff election between the two leading contenders is scheduled for Feb. 8.
Among those voting early on Sunday was President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa himself, who registered for early voting “with the aim of calling attention to this modality that allows greater flexibility for Portuguese citizens to vote,” according to a previous statement.
Voting is not mandatory in Portugal. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
