2007 Lisbon local by-election

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2007 Lisbon local by-election
Bandeira municipal de Lisboa.png
  2005 15 July 2007 2009  

All 17 Councillors in the Lisbon City Council
9 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout36.7% Decrease2.svg 16.0 pp
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Antonio Costa img 6495.jpg
Antonio Carmona Rodrigues.png
Fernando Negrao PSD.png
Leader António Costa Carmona Rodrigues Fernando Negrão
Party PS Independent PSD
Alliance Lisbon with Carmona
Last election5 seats, 26.6%Did not contest8 seats, 42.4%
Seats won633
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 1New partyDecrease2.svg 5
Popular vote56,73231,99030,401
Percentage29.5%16.6%15.8%
SwingIncrease2.svg 2.9 pp New partyDecrease2.svg 26.6 pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Helena Roseta 2025.jpg
Portuguese Communist Party logo.svg
Antonio Costa com Bernardo Trindade e Jose Sa Fernandes.jpg
Leader Helena Roseta Ruben de Carvalho José Sá Fernandes
Party Independent PCP BE
Alliance Citizens for Lisbon CDU
Last electionDid not contest2 seats, 11.4%1 seats, 7.9%
Seats won221
Seat changeNew partySteady2.svgSteady2.svg
Popular vote19,75418,16313,132
Percentage10.3%9.4%6.8%
SwingNew partyDecrease2.svg 2.0 pp Decrease2.svg 1.1 pp

Mayor before election

Marina Ferreira
PSD

Elected Mayor

António Costa
PS

The 2007 Lisbon local by-election was held on 15 July 2007 to elect a new mayor and members of the Lisbon City Council, in order to complete the term started in 2005 following the collapse of Mayor Carmona Rodrigues' local government.

Contents

In the first, and still only, mayoral by-election in Lisbon's history, António Costa, by then Minister of Internal Administration under Prime Minister José Sócrates, was elected with almost 30 percent of the votes, electing six councillors, and would complete the term started in 2005 and to be finished by 2009. [1]

The election resulted in a very fragmented local council, with former mayor Carmona Rodrigues Independent movement, Lisbon with Carmona, polling second with around 17 percent of the votes and electing 3 councillors. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) suffered a massive defeat, polling third with less than 16 percent of the votes, a loss of 27 percentage points compared with 2005, and electing only 3 councilors, a loss of five. [2]

Another independent led by Helena Roseta, called Citizens for Lisbon, that congregated center-left to leftwing movements, gathered more than 10 percent of the votes and elected two councillors. The Unitary Democratic Coalition presented Ruben de Carvalho as their mayoral candidate and won 9 percent of the votes and retained the two seats from 2005. The Left Bloc presented José Sá Fernandes as candidate for Mayor, which was reelected as councillor. The CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP) was wiped out from Lisbon City Council.

Turnout was the lowest ever, with just 36.7 percent of voters casting a ballot, a drop of 16 percentage points compared with 2005.

Background

In the 2005 election, the Social Democratic Party led by Carmona Rodrigues, won a landslide victory with 42 percent of the votes and 8 councillors, defeating the Socialist Party candidate, Manuel Maria Carrilho, by a wide margin, which only gain 26.6 percent of the votes and 5 councillors. CDU won 2 councillors, while BE and CDS–PP gained just one. [3]

By 2007, a crisis in the management of the city erupted because of urban development plans regarding a company called Bragaparques. These plans were highly controversial and led to an investigation by the Public Prosecution Office. [4] Then PSD leader, Luís Marques Mendes withdrew his support from Carmona and asked PSD councillors to resign, which led to the fall of Carmona's local government and the calling of a by-election. [5] [6]

Electoral system

Each party or coalition must present a list of candidates. The winner of the most voted list for the municipal council is automatically elected mayor, similar to first-past-the-post (FPTP). The lists are closed and the seats in each municipality are apportioned according to the D'Hondt method. Unlike in national legislative elections, independent lists are allowed to run. [7] [8]

Parties and candidates

Party/CoalitionPolitical
position
Candidate [9] 2005 result
Votes (%)Seats
PPD/PSD Social Democratic Party
Partido Social Democrata
Centre-right Fernando Negrão 42.4%
8 / 17
PS Socialist Party
Partido Socialista
Centre-left António Costa 26.6%
5 / 17
CDU Unitary Democratic Coalition
Coligação Democrática Unitária PCP, PEV
Left-wing
to far-left
Ruben de Carvalho 11.4%
2 / 17
BE Left Bloc
Bloco de Esquerda
Left-wing
to far-left
José Sá Fernandes 7.9%
1 / 17
CDS–PP CDS – People's Party
CDS – Partido Popular
Right-wing Telmo Correia 5.9%
1 / 17
PCTP Portuguese Workers' Communist Party
Partido Comunista dos Trabalhadores Portugueses
Far-left António Garcia Pereira 1.0%
0 / 17
PNR National Renovator Party
Partido Nacional Renovador
Far-right José Pinto Coelho 0.3%
0 / 17
PND New Democracy Party
Partido Nova Democracia
Right-wing Manuel Monteiro
PPM People's Monarchist Party
Partido Popular Democrático
Right-wing Gonçalo da Câmara Pereira
MPT Earth Party
Partido da Terra
Centre-right Pedro Quartin Graça
LCCLisbon with Carmona
Lisboa com Carmona
Centre-right Carmona Rodrigues
CPLCitizens for Lisbon
Cidadãos por Lisboa
Centre-left Helena Roseta

Opinion polling

Polling

  Exit poll

Polling firm/LinkFieldwork dateSample size PSD PS CDU BE CDS LCC CPL OLead
2007 local by-election15 Jul 200715.8
3
29.5
6
9.4
2
6.8
1
3.7
0
16.6
3
10.2
2
8.0
0
12.9
UCP–CESOP 15 Jul 2007 ?12.0–
15.0
2/3
29.0–
34.0

6
9.0–
11.0
2
7.0–
9.0
1
2.0–
4.0
0
15.0–
19.0
3/4
10.0–
12.0
2
14.0–
15.0
Aximage 11–12 Jul 200778016.334.210.24.82.516.99.55.617.3
Intercampus 6–11 Jul 200795915.137.113.67.42.416.04.53.921.1
Marktest 10 Jul 200761012.332.07.05.82.115.812.112.916.2
Eurosondagem 8–10 Jul 20071,55918.432.57.75.54.015.912.13.914.1
CESOP–UCP 7–10 Jul 20072,02315339841211818
Marktest 3–4 Jul 200760513.334.17.76.51.515.514.37.118.6
Intercampus 29 Jun–4 Jul 200780017.534.712.26.03.214.96.55.017.2
Aximage 18–20 Jun 200755014.139.810.24.81.815.011.03.324.8
Intercampus 8–13 Jun 200780419.531.19.19.62.513.79.15.411.6
Data Crítica 28–29 May 200760018.637.44.74.41.416.017.00.518.8
Eurosondagem 21–23 May 20071,52514.832.16.35.03.816.915.95.215.2
Marktest 16–17 May 200760012.132.07.86.41.119.917.23.612.1
2005 local election 10 Oct 200542.4
8
26.6
5
11.4
2
7.9
1
5.9
1
5.8
0
15.8

Results

Municipal Council

Summary of the 15 July 2007 Lisbon City Council by-election results
1
2
6
2
3
3
Parties Votes%±pp swing Councillors
Total±
Socialist 56,73229.49Increase2.svg2.96Increase2.svg1
Lisbon with Carmona 31,99016.633
Social Democratic 30,40115.80Decrease2.svg26.63Decrease2.svg5
Citizens for Lisbon 19,75410.272
Unitary Democratic Coalition 18,1639.44Decrease2.svg2.02Steady2.svg0
Left Bloc 13,1326.83Decrease2.svg1.11Steady2.svg0
People's 7,1483.72Decrease2.svg2.20Decrease2.svg1
Portuguese Workers' Communist 3,0211.57Increase2.svg0.60Steady2.svg0
National Renovator 1,5990.83Increase2.svg0.50Steady2.svg0
New Democracy 1,1820.610
Earth 1,0190.530
People's Monarchist 7300.300
Total valid184,87196.11Increase2.svg0.517Steady2.svg0
Blank ballots4,6222.40Increase2.svg0.5
Invalid ballots2,8611.49Increase2.svg0.2
Total192,354100.00
Registered voters/turnout524,14036.70Decrease2.svg16.0
Source: Lisbon 2007 election results

References

  1. "António Costa vence eleições para Lisboa". www.rtp.pt (in European Portuguese). 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  2. "Marques Mendes assume derrota do PSD em Lisboa". www.rtp.pt (in European Portuguese). 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  3. "Carmona Rodrigues "dedica" vitória em Lisboa a Santana Lopes e Marques Mendes". www.publico.pt (in European Portuguese). 2005-10-10. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  4. "Ex-vereadora da Câmara de Lisboa ouvida no âmbito do processo Bragaparques". www.publico.pt (in European Portuguese). 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  5. "Carmona Rodrigues afronta Marques Mendes e recusa ir-se embora". www.publico.pt (in European Portuguese). 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  6. "Eleições para Câmara de Lisboa deverão ser a 15 de Julho". www.publico.pt (in European Portuguese). 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  7. "::: Lei n.º 169/99, de 18 de Setembro". www.pgdlisboa.pt. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  8. "Eleição dos titulares dos órgãos das autarquias locais" (in Portuguese). Diário da República. 14 August 2001. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  9. "Autárquicas 2007 Lisboa - Candidatos". www.eleicoes.mai.gov.pt. Retrieved 2024-03-02.