Lisbon, Jan 18 : Portuguese presidential election voting began on Sunday, with over 11 million registered voters expected to cast ballots and choose a successor from a record field of 11 candidates.

The polling hours are from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm local time (0800-1900 GMT), and the main results are expected to be announced later the same day, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to recent polls, Andre Ventura, leader of the far-right party Chega, currently holds an advantage. Other major candidates include Antonio Jose Seguro of the center-left Socialist Party, Joao Cotrim de Figueiredo of the Liberal Initiative, and Luis Marques Mendes of the center-right Social Democratic Party.

Under the Portuguese Constitution, the president is elected by direct popular vote, with a candidate required to secure more than 50 percent of valid votes in the first round to win.

According to multiple local media outlets, this time the race is widely expected to proceed to a second round. If so, it will mark the first presidential election in 40 years to require a runoff vote between the two leading contenders.

The runoff is held roughly two weeks after the first round, with the winner determined by a simple majority.

On January 11, more than 218,000 registered voters started casting ballots 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.

Sunday's early voting took place one week ahead of the main election day on January 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, Joao Cotrim de Figueiredo, among others.

Among those voting early on January 11 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.

/IANS