Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa in the center of the image (EFE)

Portugal voted Sunday in local elections, and the Socialists with Prime Minister Antonio Costa are expected to win. However, the margin of victory is expected to be smaller than it was four years ago.

The elections come after Costa's government announced Wednesday that it would be easing restrictions it introduced to combat the spread of COVID-19 after the pandemic broke out.

The government announced that the restrictions in the country with one of the world's highest vaccination rates would start to ease as of October 1.

Around 9.3 million people are registered to vote in the 308 towns and cities of the country.

Projections are expected as of 10 pm local time (12 am Monday Occupied Jerusalem Time) after polls in the Azores archipelago. Official results will be published at a later time.

The Socialist Party scored an unprecedented victory in the 2017 vote, as it received 38% of the votes, while its main opposition, the center-right Social Democratic Party, received 28% of the votes.

The elections saw the Socialists winning 161 mayoralties and the Social Democratic Party winning 98.

Rui Rio, the center-right party's leader, announced that he would resign if his party suffered a defeat as severe as that of 2017.

The Socialists will retain Lisbon with ease, according to polls. The city's mayor, Fernando Medina, is pulling ahead of his opponent Carlos Moedas.