In Portugal, some 9.3 million eligible voters were called upon to elect new city and municipal parliaments nationwide on Sunday.
The Socialists, led by Antonio Costa, hope to repeat their success in local elections four years ago, when they won the most votes, given their successful coronavirus policies.
According to opinion polls, they could again emerge as the strongest party in the election, but with fewer votes than in 2017, the newspaper Publico wrote.
Costa and other politicians called on people to make use of their right to vote, given the freedom of movement regained after the worst of the pandemic.
Portugal has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with almost 85 percent of the population fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Most coronavirus restrictions will be lifted next Friday.
Reliable election results based on counted ballots are not expected until Monday.