MADRID, January 18. /TASS/. Voting at Portugal’s presidential election is over, with polling stations closing at 7:00 p.m. GMT.

As many as 11 candidates, ten men and one woman, are vying for the office.

Preliminary results will be announced during the night. If neither of the candidates receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held on February 8.

Incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, took office in 2016 and was re-elected in 2021. He cannot run again, as the country’s law prohibits three consecutive terms.

Within the Portuguese political system, the president serves as the head of state with primarily ceremonial duties, though the president holds some political influence and can dissolve Parliament during a crisis.