Portugal set to re-elect president, boost for reforms

LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva looked certain to be re-elected on Sunday as people began voting in elections overshadowed by the eurozone crisis.

Opinion polls showed Cavaco Silva, of the Social Democrats, getting an overwhelming 60 percent of the vote against 20 percent for his closest rival, Manuel Alegre of the ruling Socialists.

Although his party is in opposition, Cavaco Silva's re-election to the largely ceremonial post would provide a boost for the minority Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Socrates as it struggles to avoid an international bailout.

The former economics professor, who was prime minister from 1985 to 1995, is expected to reinforce Socrates' drive to cut Portugal's budget deficit through austerity measures.

"Leading the country is in the hands of the next president and he has to have a strong voice. I believe the one I voted in has this strength," said Magda Cardoso, a 60-year-old woman who voted early in the chilly morning in Lisbon's Campo Pequeno district.

She did not say for whom she cast her ballot.

In recent months, Cavaco Silva has provided crucial support for government efforts to push through spending cuts and tax rises in order to avoid taking a bailout like Ireland and Greece.

Although the president's powers are limited, he can dismiss the prime minister and dissolve parliament if he believes he has sufficient grounds. Should Portugal have to go the European Union and the International Monetary Fund for a rescue package, he could be under pressure from the opposition to do so.

Portugal's economic plight has been a big issue in the election campaign but excitement is muted.

Many Portuguese are disillusioned because of lower salaries, higher taxes and rising unemployment, and turnout is expected to be low.

Antonio Pinto, 48, a construction worker heading for breakfast in Lisbon's main Avenida da Liberdade, was one of those who had decided not to vote.

"I don't see much sense in voting. The president doesn't really change anything. We have to think about how to get out of the crisis but this lies more with the government."

(Editing by Angus MacSwan)