Portugal: Campaigns for Portugal's parliamentary elections begin

FOCUS Information Agency - Campaigns for Portugal's parliamentary elections this month began on Sunday with leaders of two main rival parties touring the country to garner support, Xinhua News Agency informed.

About 9.5 million Portuguese citizens have registered to cast their ballots in the elections slated for Sept. 27.

Among the 15 parties which will participate in the poll, the ruling Socialist Party led by Prime Minister Jose Socrates and the opposition Social Democratic Party headed by Manuela Ferreira Leite (photo) are expected to win most of the votes.

On Sunday, Socrates visited Alentejo, Portalegre and Vora to campaign for his party. Ferreira began the campaign in Azores where she accused Socrates of having "a personal project to keep himself in power and not for the country."

According to two opinion polls published on Saturday, the Socialists were slightly ahead before the elections but short of the absolute majority they have enjoyed over the past four years, but the Social Democratic Party, considering the polls' margins of error, could also get more votes in the elections.

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