A 67-year-old law professor and TV pundit, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was the clear winner Sunday in the first round of Portugal's presidential election, but was not certain to avoid a runoff vote, according to TV projections.

Rebelo de Sousa's share of the vote was put at between 49 and 55.7 percent, with his closest rival Antonio Sampaio da Novoa said to have received between 19.3 and 25 percent. Fifty percent is required to win in the first round.