1985 Portuguese local elections

1985 Portuguese local elections
All 305 Portuguese municipalities and 4,260 Portuguese Parishes ; All 1,975 local government councils
Turnout	63.0% 8.1 pp

Last updated April 16, 2024

The Portuguese local elections of 1985 took place on 15 December. They were the fourth local elections in Portugal since the democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power. The elections took place just nine weeks after the 1985 legislative election and just one month before the 1986 Presidential elections.

The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities that existed at the time, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president, this last was held separately in the more than 4,000 parishes around the country. This election was the first to grant a 4-years term, instead of the former 3 years. The number of members of the Municipal Assemblies and Parish Assemblies was greatly reduced in comparison with the former election.

For the first time, the Social Democratic Party achieved the majority of the voting by itself, since the coalition with the Democratic and Social Center, the Democratic Alliance, that achieved good results in 1979 and 1982 had been disbanded. Despite finishing second and losing almost 4% of the voting, the Socialist Party lost only 4 of the former 83 mayors plus the presidency achieved in coalition with the Leftwing Union for the Socialist Democracy.

The Democratic and Social Center, this time participating alone in every election, after the end of the Democratic Alliance, continued its electoral decline, gathering only 10% of the voting. Despite keeping the same number of mayors achieved in 1982, in the municipalities where it ran alone, 27, the party lost 49 presidencies achieved in coalition with the Social Democrats.

The Portuguese Communist Party and the Portuguese Democratic Movement, united in the United People Alliance, lost 1% of the voting in comparison with the election of 1982 and lost 8 mayors, gathering only 47 presidencies. However, despite losing only 1% of the voting in the elections to Municipal Assemblies, the coalition lost almost 700 assembly members, decreasing its representation to 1062 members due to the overall reduction of mandates.

The newly founded Democratic Renewal Party, achieved almost 5% of the voting and the presidency of 3 municipalities. In the elections to Municipal Assemblies it gathered almost 6% of the voting and 270 Assembly members, being the great surprise of the election.

Turnout in these elections fell more than eight points compared with 1982, with 63% of voters casting a ballot. It was also the last local election under a 3-year term.

Parties

The main political forces involved in the election were:

Results

Municipal Councils

National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 15 December 1985 Municipal Councils elections results
Parties		Votes	%	Candidacies	Councillors		Mayors
Parties		Votes	%	Candidacies	Total	±	Total	±
	Social Democratic	1,633,247	34.19		819	380	149	61
	Socialist	1,318,287	27.60		574	45	79	4
	United People Alliance	935,897	19.59		303	13	47	8
	Democratic and Social Centre	466,965	9.78		222	37	27	0
	Democratic Renewal	224,161	4.69		49	—	3	—
	People's Democratic Union	28,701	0.60		3	0	0	0
	People's Monarchist	23,968	0.50		3	2	0	1
	Portuguese Workers' Communist	10,967	0.23		0	0	0	0
	Christian Democratic	7,910	0.17		2	0	0	0
	Workers Party of Socialist Unity	2,324	0.05		0	0	0	0
Total valid		4,631,497	96.97	—	1,975	66	305	0
Blank ballots		73,784	1.54
Invalid ballots		71,126	1.49
Total		4,776,407	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		7,578,622	63.02

Municipality map

City control

The following table lists party control in all district capitals, as well as in municipalities above 100,000 inhabitants. Population estimates from the 1981 Census.^[3]

Municipality	Population
Almada	147,690	United People Alliance (APU)	United People Alliance (APU)
Amadora	163,878	United People Alliance (APU)	United People Alliance (APU)
Aveiro	60,284	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Barcelos	103,773	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Beja	38,246	United People Alliance (APU)	United People Alliance (APU)
Braga	125,472	Socialist Party (PS)	Socialist Party (PS)
Bragança	35,380	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Cascais	141,498	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Castelo Branco	54,908	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Coimbra	138,930	Socialist Party (PS)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Évora	51,572	United People Alliance (APU)	United People Alliance (APU)
Faro	45,109	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Funchal	112,746	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Gondomar	130,751	Socialist Party (PS)	Socialist Party (PS)
Guarda	40,360	Socialist Party (PS)	Socialist Party (PS)
Guimarães	146,959	Socialist Party (PS)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Leiria	96,517	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Lisbon	807,937	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Loures	276,467	United People Alliance (APU)	United People Alliance (APU)
Matosinhos	136,498	Socialist Party (PS)	Socialist Party (PS)
Oeiras	149,328	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Ponta Delgada	63,804	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Portalegre	27,313	Socialist Party (PS)	Socialist Party (PS)
Porto	327,368	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Santarém	62,896	Socialist Party (PS)	Socialist Party (PS)
Santa Maria da Feira	109,531	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Setúbal	98,366	United People Alliance (APU)	Socialist Party (PS)
Sintra	226,428	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Viana do Castelo	81,009	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Vila Nova de Famalicão	106,508	Socialist Party (PS)	Socialist Party (PS)
Vila Nova de Gaia	226,331	Socialist Party (PS)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Vila Real	47,020	Democratic Alliance (AD)	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Viseu	83,261	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)

Municipal Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 15 December 1985 Municipal Assemblies elections results
Parties		Votes	%	Candidacies	Mandates
Parties		Votes	%	Candidacies	Total	±
	Social Democratic	1,391,500	29.59		2,509	361
	Socialist	1,142,381	24.30		1,796	1,386
	United People Alliance	953,935	20.29		1,056	707
	Democratic and Social Centre	761,855	16.20		1,015	12
	Democratic Renewal	245,830	5.22		273	—
	People's Democratic Union	31,899	0.68		14	7
	People's Monarchist	15,949	0.34		7	21
	Portuguese Workers' Communist	6,396	0.14		0	0
	Christian Democratic	4,002	0.09		2	0
	Socialist League of the Workers	783	0.02		0	—
	Workers Party of Socialist Unity	254	0.00		0	0
Total valid		4,543,206	96.62	—	6,672	3,225
Blank ballots		88,935	1.89
Invalid ballots		69,854	1.48
Total		4,701,995	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		7,444,150	63.16

Parish Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 15 December 1985 Parish Assemblies elections results
Parties		Votes	%	Candidacies	Mandates		Presidents
Parties		Votes	%	Candidacies	Total	±	Total	±
	Social Democratic	1,584,427	32.85		13,118	3,619
	Socialist	1,303,425	27.02		9,039	3,764
	United People Alliance	993,767	20.60		3,676	1,321
	Democratic and Social Centre	507,499	10.52		4,531	306
	Democratic Renewal	164,345	3.41		726	—		—
	Independents	67,601	1.40		797	241
	People's Democratic Union	28,572	0.59		26	4
	Portuguese Workers' Communist	4,153	0.09		0	0
	People's Monarchist	2,585	0.05		24	75
	Christian Democratic	1,021	0.02		4	4
	Workers Party of Socialist Unity	792	0.02		0	0
Total valid		4,658,187	96.67	—	31,941	—		—
Blank ballots		84,797	1.77
Invalid ballots		80,766	1.67
Total		4,823,750	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		7,652,786	63.52

Maps

The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Councils in each district.
The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Assemblies in each district.
The first and the second most voted parties in Parish Assemblies in each district.

Notes

The source of the voting data is the Portuguese Electoral Commission Archived 2020-02-05 at the Wayback Machine

Further Notes:

United People Alliance (APU) was composed by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP/CDE) .
The number of candidacies expresses the number of municipalities or parishes in which the party or coalition presented lists.
The number of mandates expresses the number of municipal deputies in the Municipal Assembly election and the number of parish deputies in the Parish Assembly election.
The turnout varies because one may choose not to vote for all the organs.

Related Research Articles

Elections in Portugal are free, fair, and regularly held, in accordance with election law.

The 1987 Portuguese legislative election took place on 19 July. The election renewed all 250 members of the Assembly of the Republic.

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

The 1979 Portuguese legislative election took place on 2 December. The election renewed all 250 members of the Assembly of the Republic, 13 seats less than those elected in 1976.

The 1983 Portuguese legislative election took place on 25 April. The election renewed all 250 members of the Assembly of the Republic.

The 1980 Portuguese legislative election took place on 5 October. The election renewed all 250 members of the Assembly of the Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Portuguese local elections</span>

The Portuguese local election of 2005 took place on 9 October 2005. The election consisted of three separate elections in the 308 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last was held separately in the more than 4,000 parishes around the country.

The Portuguese local elections of 1979 took place on 16 December. They were the 2nd local elections in Portugal since the democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power. The elections took place just two weeks after the 1979 legislative election.

The Portuguese local elections of 1976 took place on sunday 12 December. They were the first local elections in Portugal. The democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power, that should be exerted by the citizens in their towns and cities. These elections ended a cycle of three elections in 1976, after the 1976 legislative election in April and the 1976 Presidential election in June.

The Portuguese local elections of 1982 took place on 12 December. They were the third local elections in Portugal since the democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power.

The Portuguese local elections of 2013 took place on 29 September. The elections consisted of three types of elections in the 308 Portuguese municipalities, namely the elections for the Municipal Chambers, whose winners are elected mayors, the elections for the Municipal Assemblies, as well as the elections for the lower-level Parish Assemblies, whose winners are elected parish presidents. The latter were held separately in the more than 3,000 parishes around the country. The number of parishes had been reduced by over 1000 due to a local government reform undertaken by the Government led by Pedro Passos Coelho.

The Azores Regional Election, 2000 was an election held on 15 October 2000 for the legislative assembly and government of the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores, in which the Socialist Party, under the leadership of Carlos César received 49% of the votes, and got an absolute majority, in comparison to their direct rivals, the Social Democratic Party with 32%. Voter turnout was the lowest til then with just 53.3% of the electorate casting their ballot on election day.

The Portuguese local elections of 2009 took place on 11 October. The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 308 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected president, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last was held separately in the more than 4,000 parishes around the country. The elections took place just two weeks after the 2009 legislative election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalition PSD/CDS</span> Political party in Portugal

The PSD/CDS coalition is a recurring conservative political and electoral alliance in Portugal formed by the Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD) and CDS – People's Party (CDS-PP).

The Portuguese local elections of 2017 were held on 1 October 2017. The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 308 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner was elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly, as well an election for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner was elected parish president. This last election was held in the more than 3,000 parishes around the country. In the 2017 election, 13.3% of incumbent mayors, 41 to be precise, were barred from running for another term.

The Portuguese local elections of 2001 took place on 16 December. The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 308 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last was held separately in the more than 4,200 parishes around the country.

The Portuguese local elections of 1997 took place on 14 December. The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last was held separately in the more than 4,200 parishes around the country.

The Portuguese local elections of 1993 took place on 12 December. The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last was held separately in the more than 4,200 parishes around the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Portuguese local elections</span>

The Portuguese local elections of 1989 took place on 17 December. The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last was held separately in the more than 4,200 parishes around the country.

Local elections in Portugal were held on 26 September 2021. The election consisted of three separate elections in the 308 Portuguese municipalities: the election for the Municipal Chamber, whose winner is elected mayor; another election for the Municipal Assembly ; and an election for the Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last one was held separately in the more than 3,000 parishes around the country. In the 2021 election, 12.3% of incumbent mayors, 38 to be precise, were barred from running for another term: 23 from the PS, 11 from the PSD, 3 from CDU and one from the CDS–PP.

References

↑ Cities where the PSD contested alone. Not with coalitions with CDS or PPM.
↑ Cities where the CDS contested alone. Not with coalitions with PSD or PPM.
↑ "Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Recenseamentos Gerais da População)". www.ine.pt (in Portuguese). Statistics Portugal . Retrieved 17 July 2021.

External links

Portuguese Electoral Commission

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Cities where the PSD contested alone. Not with coalitions with CDS or PPM.

[2] Cities where the CDS contested alone. Not with coalitions with PSD or PPM.

[3] "Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Recenseamentos Gerais da População)". www.ine.pt (in Portuguese). Statistics Portugal . Retrieved 17 July 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Elections and referendums in Portugal
Presidential elections	1918 (Apr) 1923 1928 1935 1942 1949 1951 1958 1976 1980 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 2026
Parliamentary elections	1820 1822 1826 1828 1834 1836 (Jul) 1836 (Nov) 1838 1840 1842 1845 1847 1851 1852 1856 1858 1860 1861 1864 1865 1868 1869 1870 (Mar) 1870 (Sep) 1871 1874 1878 1879 1881 1884 1887 1889 1890 1892 1894 1895 1897 1899 1900 1901 1904 1905 1906 (Apr) 1906 (Aug) 1908 1910 1913 1915 1918 1919 1921 1922 1925 1934 1938 1942 1945 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1976 1979 1980 1983 1985 1987 1991 1995 1999 2002 2005 2009 2011 2015 2019 2022 2024 Next
Constituent Assembly elections	1820 1837 1911 1975
Local elections	1976 1979 1982 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
European elections	1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Referendums	1933 1998 (Jun) 1998 (Nov) 2007
See also: Elections in the Azores Madeira Lisbon Presidential elections

1985 Portuguese local elections

Contents

Parties

Results

Municipal Councils

National summary of votes and seats

Municipality map

City control

Municipal Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

Parish Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

Maps

Notes

See also

Related Research Articles

References

External links