The far-right score will be closely watched and the vote will be held as the storm continues to batter the country.

Voting has begun in Portugal’s second round of elections, seen as a high-stakes choice between socialists and a resurgent far-right.

Voting in the presidential election begins at 9 a.m. local time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday, with 11 million voters at home and abroad eligible to vote.

Voters will choose between Antonio José Seguro, leader of the socialist party, and André Ventura, leader of the nationalist Chega party, which means “enough” in Portuguese.

Exit polls are expected to take place at around 9pm local time (21:00 GMT). Most official results are likely to be announced at 00:00 AM local time (00:00 GMT).

Seguro, 63, received 31.1% of the vote in the first round, while Ventura, the outspoken far-right leader, won 23.5%.

While Ventura will almost certainly be beaten by Seguro, the score on the far right will be closely watched.

Sunday’s vote will decide who takes on the symbolic but largely ceremonial role of president.

The vote comes as storms and flooding continue to affect the country. Although the weather improved between Saturday and Sunday, voting for nearly 32,000 people has been postponed for a week in at least 14 of the worst-affected constituencies.

The storm has killed at least seven people, caused flooding and caused damage estimated at 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion).

But Ventura’s call to postpone the entire vote was rejected.

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the storm had created a “devastating crisis” but that threats to the vote could be overcome.

Outgoing President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told Ventura on Friday that the last presidential election was held five years ago despite the coronavirus pandemic.