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Portugal vote: Austerity policies face election test Portugal vote: Governing coalition ahead, exit polls suggest
(about 7 hours later)
People in Portugal are voting in a parliamentary election that is widely seen as a referendum on four years of spending cuts and market reforms. Exit polls suggest Portugal's centre-right government is likely to be re-elected, after a poll that tested its austerity policies.
The centre-right governing coalition has vowed to continue austerity policies in place since 2011, after it was forced to seek a eurozone bailout. The election was widely seen as a referendum on four years of spending cuts and market reforms.
The Socialists and other left-wing groups have criticised the cuts. The governing coalition had vowed to continue the policies, in place since 2011 after it was forced to seek a eurozone bailout.
President Anibal Cavaco Silva called for a high turnout on Sunday, saying Portugal was facing a crucial moment. The Socialists and other left-wing groups criticised the cuts.
The BBC's Alison Roberts in Lisbon says years of austerity have left Portugal's electorate deeply split, and with an unusually large number of undecided voters. Unemployment has been falling for two-and-a-half years, but many regard the recovery as fragile.
Socialist leader Antonio Costa has said that only a vote for his party is a "useful vote" against the government. The centre-right Social Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, and its right-wing ally, the People's Party, put up joint lists of candidates in all electoral districts.
The centre-right Social Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, and its right-wing ally, the People's Party, have put up joint lists of candidates in all electoral districts. Their main challenger, Socialist leader Antonio Costa, had said that only a vote for his party was a "useful vote" against the government.
Unemployment has been falling for two and a half years, but many regard the recovery as fragile. The exit polls suggest the coalition has a lead of about seven percentage points over the Socialists, which analysts say should be enough to see it returned to power.
Read more: Coalition hopes to survive austerity angerRead more: Coalition hopes to survive austerity anger