Portuguese voters head to the polls on Sunday to choose a successor to conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, although advance polling suggests none of the candidates is likely to achieve the absolute majority required to win in the first round.

Of the 11 candidates standing, right-wing populist André Ventura, Social Democrat António José Seguro, and conservative João Cotrim de Figueiredo have the best chances of reaching the run-off. 

Polling suggests Mr Ventura, of the far-right Chega (Enough) party, may win the most votes, causing widespread dismay.

Many Portuguese voters have warned against normalising far-right positions.

But if Mr Ventura manages to make it to the February 8 run-off, he is unlikely to win as the latest polls suggest more than 60 per cent of voters would definitely not vote for him in the second round.

However, for Mr Ventura, even reaching the run-off would seem like further proof of the rapid rise of his party, which became the second strongest force in Portugal’s last parliamentary election just six years after its founding.

(dpa/NAN)