LISBON, Jan. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Anibal Cavaco Silva, a centre-right candidate, won Portugal's presidential election on Sunday.Cavaco Silva, a former prime minister, had 50.78 percent of the vote with 98 percent of polling stations reporting, the country's election commission reported.

    Cavaco Silva's total put him just above the 50 percent mark needed to avoid a run-off.

    Leftist maverick Manuel Alegre had 20.7 percent of the vote and81-year-old Mario Soares, the Socialists' official candidate, had14.21 percent.

    The 66-year-old Cavaco Silva had led the campaign for the non-executive office from the start on pledges to improve a stagnant economy and cut unemployment at an 18-year high.His victory was another setback for Prime Minister JoseSocrates, who was elected last year. His Socialists also lost heavily in city elections in October after he imposed austerity measures and tax hikes to try to close the widest budget deficit in the euro zone. Enditem