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Turnout in Portuguese Parliamentary Elections Reaches 44%

© REUTERS / Rafael MarchantePeople vote at a polling station during the general election in Lisbon, Portugal October 4, 2015.
People vote at a polling station during the general election in Lisbon, Portugal October 4, 2015. - Sputnik International
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Some 44 percent of Portuguese voters cast their ballots in the legislative elections by 04:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT), according to data published on the official elections website.

Supporters accompany Portugal's Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho and Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas during an election campaign event in Lisbon, Portugal, October 2, 2015 - Sputnik International
Parliamentary Elections Kick Off in Portugal
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The voting kicked off at 09:00 a.m. local time and will last until 07:00 p.m.

Some 9.7 million people are eligible to vote in the country. The electorate is choosing between 13 political parties and three coalitions.

The elections are expected to result in a government led by one of the two main rivals, the right-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD), headed by incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, and the left-wing Socialist Party (PS), led by Antonio Costa.

According to opinion polls, the coalition led by Coelho has the support of about 38 percent of voters, compared to 32 percent for the opposition Socialist Party, which indicates that the coalition could win between 99 and 114 seats in the 230-member parliament, just short of the 116 needed for an absolute majority. PS is likely to take between 78 and 95 seats.

At the same time, according to polls, up to 27 percent remain undecided, making a forecast difficult.

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