Portugal held a presidential election Sunday despite a COVID-19 surge gripping the country.

Moderate incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, 72, is regarded as the clear front-runner among the seven candidates. The former law professor and one-time television personality has consistently enjoyed an approval rating of 60 percent or more as president.

The country's head of state has no legislative powers, which lie with parliament and the government, but is a symbolic figure and an influential voice in the running of the country. To win, a candidate must get more than 50 percent of the vote. 

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Rebelo de Sousa is expected to earn a second five-year term, but a rise in coronavirus infections in recent days could keep the turnout low – even if voluntary teams clad in protective gear collected ballots at the doorstep of some 13,000 quarantined voters – and perhaps lead to a February 14 run-off between the two top candidates.

Portugal has the world's highest rates of new daily infections and deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, and the public health system is under huge strain. 

The number of COVID-19 deaths broke records for the seventh day in a row on Sunday at 275, with hospitalizations also at an all-time high and ambulances queuing for several hours at Lisbon hospitals full to capacity.

Authorities have increased the number of polling stations and allowed for early voting to reduce crowding on election day. In other precautions, voters were asked to bring their own pens and disinfectant to polling stations. Everyone voting wore a mask and kept a safe distance from each other.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa urged people to turn out for the ballot, saying that "unprecedented planning" had gone into ensuring that the vote can take place safely. With the country in lockdown, the election campaign featured none of the usual flag-waving rallies but restrictions on movement were lifted for polling day.

Easy-going president seeks the usual re-election 

Among the incumbent's six challengers, right-winger Andre Ventura has attracted interest as the first populist to break into Portuguese mainstream politics. 

Rebelo de Sousa, a former leader of the center-right Social Democratic Party, has worked closely with the center-left minority Socialist government, supporting its pandemic efforts. 

He also has endeared himself to the Portuguese with his easygoing style. Photographs of him in public places, such as one last year of him standing in line at a supermarket wearing sneakers and shorts, routinely go viral.

Portugal has 10.8 million registered voters, some 1.5 million of them living abroad. Exit polls were to be published Sunday night, with most results expected by midnight local time.

Every Portuguese president since 1976, when universal suffrage was introduced following the departure of an authoritarian regime, has been returned for a second five-year term. Presidents are limited to two consecutive terms before an enforced break of at least five years.