Portuguese legislative elections

Since 1974, the year of the Carnation Revolution, seventeen legislative elections were held in Portugal.

The parliament is usually elected to a four-year term, and currently (as of 2024^[update]) there are 230 Members of the Parliament, elected in Party's lists in 22 constituencies, corresponding to the 18 continental districts, 2 autonomous regions, one constituency for the Portuguese living abroad in Europe and the last one for the Portuguese living abroad in the rest of the world.

Each constituency elects a number of MPs proportional to its registered voters number, ranging from the 48 MPs in Lisbon to the 2 in Portalegre.

Electoral system

The Assembly of the Republic has 230 members elected to four-year terms. Governments do not require absolute majority support of the Assembly to hold office, as even if the number of opposers of government is larger than that of the supporters, the number of opposers still needs to be equal or greater than 116 (absolute majority) for both the Government's Programme to be rejected or for a motion of no confidence to be approved.^[1]

The number of seats assigned to each district depends on the district magnitude.^[2] The use of the d'Hondt method makes for a higher effective threshold than certain other allocation methods such as the Hare quota or Sainte-Laguë method, which are more generous to small parties.^[3]

For the 2024 legislative elections, the MPs were distributed by districts as follows:^[4]

District	Number of MPs	Map
Lisbon	48
Porto	40
Braga and Setúbal	19
Aveiro	16
Leiria	10
Coimbra, Faro and Santarém	9
Viseu	8
Madeira	6
Azores, Viana do Castelo and Vila Real	5
Castelo Branco	4
Beja, Bragança, Évora and Guarda	3
Portalegre, Europe and Outside Europe	2

Election results 1976-2024

Parties are listed from left-wing to right-wing.

Summary of Portuguese elections for the Assembly of the Republic, 1976–2024
Election	UDP	BE	MDP	PCP	PEV	L	PS	PAN	PRD	PSD	CDS	PPM	PSN	IL	CH	O/I	Turnout
Election																O/I	Turnout
1976	1.7 1	-	-	14.4 40	-	-	34.9 107	-	-	24.4 73	16.0 42	0.5 0	-	-	-	8.1 0	83.5
1979^[a]^[b]	2.2 1	-	18.8 47		-	-	27.3 74	-	-	45.3 128			-	-	-	6.2 0	82.9
1980^[c]	1.4 1	-	16.8 41		-	-	27.8 74	-	-	47.6 134			-	-	-	6.4 0	83.9
1983^[d]	0.5 0	-	18.1 44			-	36.1 101	-	-	27.2 75	12.6 30	0.5 0	-	-	-	5.0 0	77.8
1985	1.3 0	-	15.5 38			-	20.8 57	-	17.9 45	29.9 88	10.0 22	-	-	-	-	4.6 0	74.2
1987^[e]	0.9 0	-	0.6 0	12.1 31		-	22.2 60	-	4.9 7	50.2 148	4.4 4	0.4 0	-	-	-	4.3 0	71.6
1991	0.1 0	-	-	8.8 17		-	29.1 72	-	0.6 0	50.6 135	4.4 5	0.4 0	1.7 1	-	-	4.3 0	67.8
1995	0.6 0	-	-	8.6 15		-	43.8 112	-	-	34.1 88	9.1 15	-	0.2 0	-	-	3.6 0	66.3
1999	-	2.4 2	-	9.0 17		-	44.1 115	-	-	32.3 81	8.3 15	0.3 0	0.2 0	-	-	3.4 0	61.1
2002	-	2.7 3	-	6.9 12		-	37.8 96	-	-	40.2 105	8.7 14	0.2 0	0.0 0	-	-	3.5 0	61.5
2005	-	6.4 8	-	7.5 14		-	45.0 121	-	-	28.8 75	7.2 12	-	-	-	-	5.1 0	64.3
2009	-	9.8 16	-	7.9 15		-	36.6 97	-	-	29.1 81	10.4 21	0.3 0	-	-	-	5.9 0	59.7
2011	-	5.2 8	-	7.9 16		-	28.0 74	1.0 0	-	38.7 108	11.7 24	0.3 0	-	-	-	7.2 0	58.0
2015^[f]	-	10.2 19	-	8.3 17		0.7 0	32.3 86	1.4 1	-	38.6 107		0.3 0	-	-	-	8.2 0	55.8
2019	-	9.5 19	-	6.3 12		1.1 1	36.3 108	3.3 4	-	27.8 79	4.2 5	0.2 0	-	1.3 1	1.3 1	8.7 0	48.6
2022	-	4.4 5	-	4.3 6		1.3 1	41.4 120	1.6 1	-	29.1 77	1.6 0	0.0 0	-	4.9 8	7.2 12	4.2 0	51.5
2024^[g]	-	4.4 5	-	3.2 4		3.2 4	28.0 78	1.9 1	-	28.8 80			-	4.9 8	18.1 50	7.5 0	59.9
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições Archived 2011-01-25 at the Wayback Machine

List of Elections

Notes

^ In the 1979 and 1980 elections, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Democratic Social Center (CDS) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) ran in a joint coalition called Democratic Alliance (AD). In the Madeira and Azores islands, however, the parties ran in separate lists but are added in total sum of the coalition.
^ In the 1979 and 1980 elections, the Communist Party (PCP) and the Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP) ran in a joint coalition called United People Alliance (APU).
^ In the 1980 election, the Socialist Party (PS), the Leftwing Union for the Socialist Democracy (UEDS) and the Independent Social Democratic Action (ASDI) ran in a joint coalition called Republican and Socialist Front (FRS). In the Madeira and Azores islands, plus the foreign electoral constituencies, however, the parties ran in separate lists but are added in total sum of the coalition.
^ In the 1983 and 1985 elections, the Communist Party (PCP), Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP) and the Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PEV) ran in a joint coalition called United People Alliance (APU).
^ After the 1987 elections, and still today, the Communist Party (PCP) and the Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PEV) run in a joint coalition called Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU).
^ The Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the People's Party (CDS–PP) contested the 2015 election in a coalition called Portugal Ahead (PàF) and won a combined 38.6% of the vote and elected 107 MP's to parliament.
^ In the 2024 election, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the People's Party (CDS–PP) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) ran in a joint coalition called Democratic Alliance (AD). In Madeira, the PSD and CDS–PP ran in a coalition without PPM, but the results are added in total sum of the coalition.

References

^ "Constitution of the Portuguese Republic" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
^ "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
^ Gallaher, Michael (1992). "Comparing Proportional Representation Electoral Systems: Quotas, Thresholds, Paradoxes and Majorities"
^ "Official map no. 1-A/2024" (PDF) (in Portuguese). National Elections Commission of Portugal. 16 January 2024.

External links

[AD-5] In the 1979 and 1980 elections, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Democratic Social Center (CDS) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) ran in a joint coalition called Democratic Alliance (AD). In the Madeira and Azores islands, however, the parties ran in separate lists but are added in total sum of the coalition.

[APU1-6] In the 1979 and 1980 elections, the Communist Party (PCP) and the Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP) ran in a joint coalition called United People Alliance (APU).

[FRS-7] In the 1980 election, the Socialist Party (PS), the Leftwing Union for the Socialist Democracy (UEDS) and the Independent Social Democratic Action (ASDI) ran in a joint coalition called Republican and Socialist Front (FRS). In the Madeira and Azores islands, plus the foreign electoral constituencies, however, the parties ran in separate lists but are added in total sum of the coalition.

[APU2-8] In the 1983 and 1985 elections, the Communist Party (PCP), Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP) and the Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PEV) ran in a joint coalition called United People Alliance (APU).

[CDU-9] After the 1987 elections, and still today, the Communist Party (PCP) and the Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PEV) run in a joint coalition called Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU).

[Portugal_Ahead-10] The Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the People's Party (CDS–PP) contested the 2015 election in a coalition called Portugal Ahead (PàF) and won a combined 38.6% of the vote and elected 107 MP's to parliament.

[AD2024-11] In the 2024 election, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the People's Party (CDS–PP) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) ran in a joint coalition called Democratic Alliance (AD). In Madeira, the PSD and CDS–PP ran in a coalition without PPM, but the results are added in total sum of the coalition.

[1] "Constitution of the Portuguese Republic" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2019-12-29.

[2] "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin. Retrieved 2015-10-21.

[3] Gallaher, Michael (1992). "Comparing Proportional Representation Electoral Systems: Quotas, Thresholds, Paradoxes and Majorities"

[4] "Official map no. 1-A/2024" (PDF) (in Portuguese). National Elections Commission of Portugal. 16 January 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[a]

[b]

[c]

[d]

[e]

[f]

[g]