Record participation in early voting for Portugal prez polls

Lisbon, Jan 18 : Almost 250,000 people have taken part in the early voting for Portugal’s presidential election scheduled to be held on January 24, according to the Ministry of Internal Administration.
“I see enthusiasm in those almost 250,000 Portuguese who registered for early voting… It means that, in very difficult times, in times when we focus on combating the pandemic, we also have to affirm the values of democracy,” Minister of Internal Administration Eduardo Cabrita told reporters on Sunday.
The presidential election will be completed on January 24, when other qualified voters will be able to vote directly in several places across the country, reports Xinhua news agency.
Seven candidates, including incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, are in the running in next Sunday’s poll.
Under Portuguese law, a candidate must receive a majority of votes to be elected.
If no candidate achieves a majority in the first round, a runoff election has to be take place.