Portugal to pick a new president but govt calls the shots

LISBON, Portugal – A record 10 candidates are running for president of Portugal, but voters don't appear to share their enthusiasm for a job that holds no executive power in western Europe's poorest country.

An unmemorable election campaign and a runaway favorite have also combined to bore the electorate. Analysts say turnout could be unusually low in Sunday's ballot.

An alliance of anti-austerity parties is in charge in Portugal after a parliamentary election three months ago produced a Socialist minority government supported by the Communist Party and radical Left Bloc. The president's role is largely ceremonial, though the head of state can be an influential voice.

Polls suggest Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a veteran center-right politician who became a popular television personality, will collect more than 50 percent of the vote.