Europe’s far-right eyes run-off in Portugal’s presidential election

A record 11 candidates are standing in Portugal’s presidential election on Sunday, with a populist party leader poised to bring another political breakthrough for Europe’s far-right.The large field makes it unlikely that any candidate will capture more than 50 per cent of the vote for a first-round win. That would leave the two top candidates to compete in a run-off ballot next month.Almost 11 million people are eligible to vote in the election, with most results expected late in the day. The winner will replace President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has served the limit of two five-year terms.Polls opened at 8am on a mostly sunny day across the country and were due to close 12 hours later.The front-runners, according to recent opinion polls, are André Ventura, the leader of the populist far-right Chega (Enough) party. Chega’s surge in public support made it the second-largest party in Portugal’s parliament last year, just six years after it was founded.One of Ventura’s main targets has been what he calls excessive immigration, as foreign workers have become more conspicuous in Portugal in recent years. “Portugal is ours,” he says.During the election campaign, Ventura put up billboards across the country saying, “This isn’t Bangladesh” and “Immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to live on welfare”.