2009 European Parliament election in Portugal

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2009 European Parliament election in Portugal
Flag of Portugal (official).svg
  2004 7 June 2009 2014  

22 seats to the European Parliament
Turnout36.8% Decrease2.svg 1.8 pp
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
MERCOSUL - Representacao Brasileira no Parlamento do Mercosul (22371092998) (cropped).jpg
Moreira Vital 2014-02-04 2.jpg
MiguelPortas(2009).jpg
Leader Paulo Rangel Vital Moreira Miguel Portas
Party PSD PS BE
Alliance EPP PES EACL
Last election7 seats (FP)12 seats, 44.5%1 seat, 4.9%
Seats won873
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 5Increase2.svg 2
Popular vote1,131,744946,818382,667
Percentage31.7%26.5%10.7%
Swing [a] Decrease2.svg 18.0 pp Increase2.svg 5.8 pp

 Fourth partyFifth party
 
Ilda Figueiredo 2011 (cropped).jpg
Melo, Nuno-1294 (cropped).jpg
Leader Ilda Figueiredo Nuno Melo
Party CDU CDS–PP
Alliance GUE/NGL EPP
Last election2 seats, 9.1%2 seats (FP)
Seats won22
Seat changeSteady2.svg 0Steady2.svg 0
Popular vote379,787298,423
Percentage10.6%8.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg 1.5 pp [a]

An election of the delegation from Portugal to the European Parliament was held on 7 June 2009.

Contents

The election was a huge setback for the Socialist Party (PS), which lost almost 18 percentage points. Basically all predictions that said that the PS would win comfortably the election, were wrong. As a result, the party also lost five of its twelve European Parliament members. The Social Democrats (PSD) were the big winners in these elections, surprising pundits and analysts who predicted a very complicated result for the PSD leader, Manuela Ferreira Leite. The PSD won 31.7 percent of the vote and 8 seats. It was the first victory of the PSD, in European elections, since 1989. The People's Party (CDS-PP) also had a surprising result, winning 8 percent of the vote and electing two European Parliament members. Both PSD and CDS-PP, who ran in a joint list in 2004, increased sharply their scores and together they won more than 40 percent of the vote and 10 European Parliament members.

On the left, both the Left Bloc (BE) and Democratic Unity Coalition (CDU) achieved very good results with the historic fact that BE surpassed CDU in term of votes and seats for the first time, although only just. Both parties increased their scores at the expense of the Socialist Party. The Left Bloc won 10.7 percent of the vote and three European Parliament members, their best score in EU elections to date, and CDU surpassed once again the 10 percent mark winning 10.6 percent of the vote, but maintaining the two European Parliament members they got in 2004.

Turnout in the elections was quite low, as only 36.78 percent of the electorate cast a ballot, a slightly lower share than in the 2004 election. Although the number of ballots cast was higher than in 2004, the number of registered voters increased considerably in these elections, making the final turnout share lower than in 2004.

Electoral system

The voting method used, for the election of European members of parliament, is by proportional representation using the d'Hondt method, which is known to benefit leading parties. In the 2009 European Union elections, Portugal had 22 seats to be filled. Deputies are elected in a single constituency, corresponding to the entire national territory.

Parties and candidates

The lists were headed by [1]

Campaign period

Party slogans

Party or allianceOriginal sloganEnglish translationRefs
PS « Nós, Europeus »"We, Europeans" [2]
PSD « Assina por baixo? »"Will you sign below?" [3]
CDU « Em Portugal e na Europa »"In Portugal and in Europe" [4]
CDS–PP « Soluções sérias para Portugal »"Serious solutions for Portugal" [5]
BE « Estás na hora »"It's time" [6]

Candidates' debates

2004 European Parliament election in Portugal debates
DateOrganisersModerator(s)   P Present   A Absent invitee N Non-invitee 
PS
Moreira
PSD
Rangel
CDU
Figueiredo
CDS–PP
Melo
BE
Portas
Refs
17 April RTP1 Fátima Campos FerreiraPPPPP [7]
24 April SIC Notícias Clara de SousaPPNNN [8]
14 May TVI24 Paulo MagalhãesPPPPP [9]
21 May TVI24 Paulo MagalhãesPPNNN [10]

Opinion polling

Exit polls from the three major television networks in Portugal, RTP1, SIC and TVI were given precisely at 20:00 pm (local time) on 7 June 2009.

  Exit poll

Polling firm/LinkDate Released PS Logo (Text version).png PSD Logo Simples.png Cds simbolo 2.png Logo of the Unitary Democratic Coalition.svg LeftBloc.svg OLead
2009 EP election7 June 200926.5
7
31.7
8
8.4
2
10.6
2
10.7
3
12.1
0
5.2
CESOP–UCP 7 June 200928–33
7/8
29–34
8/9
7–10
2
9–12
2/3
9–12
2
1
Eurosondagem 7 June 200927.7–31.5
7/8
29.2–33.0
7/8
7.5–9.3
2
9.5– 11.3
2/3
11.6–13.4
3
1.5
Intercampus 7 June 200924.1–28.1
6/8
30.4–34.4
8/9
6.7– 9.3
1/2
9.7–12.7
2/3
9.8–12.8
2/3
6.3
CESOP–UCP 5 June 200934
9
32
8
4
1
11
2
9
2
10
0
2
Eurosondagem 5 June 200936.031.96.19.010.16.94.1
Aximage 4 June 200936.230.95.010.110.27.65.3
Marktest 4 June 200929.432.53.38.98.917.03.1
Marktest 1 June 200931.930.14.77.17.119.11.8
Intercampus 29 May 200937.132.03.57.79.99.85.1
Eurosondagem 29 May 200935.532.56.59.28.87.53.0
Aximage 26 May 200938.031.16.37.98.58.26.9
Eurosondagem 22 May 200934.3
8/9
32.1
8
6.9
1/2
8.9
2
10.1
2
7.7
0
2.2
Aximage 17 May 200938.532.35.68.79.25.76.2
Marktest 9 May 200933.132.94.57.68.413.50.2
CESOP–UCP 1 May 20093936471223
Intercampus 24 April 200934.033.56.97.918.00.5
2004 EP election 13 June 200444.5
12
33.3
9
9.1
2
4.9
1
8.2
0
11.2

Voter turnout

The table below shows voter turnout throughout election day including voters from Overseas.

TurnoutTime
12:0016:0019:00
20042009±20042009±20042009±
Total14.20%11.86%Decrease2.svg 2.34 pp 27.19%26.82%Decrease2.svg 0.37 pp 38.60%36.78%Decrease2.svg 1.82 pp
Sources [11] [12]

Results

Summary of the results of Portugal's 7 June 2009 election to the European Parliament
Portugal MEPS 2009.svg
National partyEuropean
party
Main candidateVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Social Democratic Party (PSD) EPP Paulo Rangel 1,131,74431.71 [a] 81 Increase2.svg
Socialist Party (PS) PES Vital Moreira 946,81826.5317.99 Decrease2.svg75 Decrease2.svg
Left Bloc (BE) EACL / PEL Miguel Portas 382,66710.725.81 Increase2.svg32 Increase2.svg
Democratic Unitarian Coalition (CDU)
Communist Party (PCP)
Ecologist Party (PEV)
GUE/NGL Ilda Figueiredo 379,78710.641.55 Increase2.svg2
2
0

0 Steady2.svg
0 Steady2.svg
People's Party (CDS–PP) EPP Nuno Melo 298,4238.36 [a] 20 Steady2.svg
Hope for Portugal Movement (MEP)None Laurinda Alves 55,0721.54new0new
Workers' Communist Party (PCTP/MRPP)None Orlando Alves 42,9401.200.13 Increase2.svg00 Steady2.svg
Earth Party (MPT) ALDE Pedro Quartin Graça 24,0620.670.27 Increase2.svg00 Steady2.svg
Merit and Society Movement (MMS)None Carlos Alberto Gomes 21,7380.61new0new
Humanist Party (PH)None Manuela Magno 17,1390.480.09 Increase2.svg00 Steady2.svg
People's Monarchist Party (PPM) ECPM Frederico Duarte Carvalho 14,4140.400.05 Decrease2.svg00 Steady2.svg
National Renovator Party (P.N.R.)None Humberto Oliveira 13,2140.370.12 Increase2.svg00 Steady2.svg
Workers Party of Socialist Unity (POUS)None Carmelinda Pereira 5,1770.150.02 Increase2.svg00 Steady2.svg
Valid votes3,333,19593.39
Blank and invalid votes235,7486.61
Totals3,568,943100.00222 Decrease2.svg
Electorate (eligible voters) and voter turnout9,704,55936.781.82 Decrease2.svg
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições Archived 8 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine
Vote share
PSD
31.71%
PS
26.53%
BE
10.72%
CDU
10.64%
CDS-PP
8.36%
MEP
1.54%
PCTP/MRPP
1.20%
MPT
0.67%
MMS
0.61%
Others
1.40%
Blank/Invalid
6.61%
Seats
PSD
36.36%
PS
31.82%
BE
13.64%
CDU
9.09%
CDS-PP
9.09%

Distribution by European group

Summary of political group distribution in the 7th European Parliament (2009–2014) [13]
GroupsPartiesSeatsTotal %
European People's Party (EPP)8
2
1045.45
Party of European Socialists (PES)7731.82
European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)3
2
522.73
Total2222100.00

Maps

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Social Democratic Party and the People's Party contested, together, the 2004 election in a coalition (Forward Portugal).

References

  1. "Lista de candidatos ao PE 2009 / Candidate list for EP 2009" (PDF). Retrieved 4 June 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Partido Socialista Europeias 2009" (PDF). Socialist Party (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  3. "A Presidente estará muitas vezes ao lado de Rangel" (PDF). Social Democratic Party (in Portuguese). 27 May 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  4. "CDU no distrito de Santarém a dramatizar apelo ao voto". Público (in Portuguese). 1 June 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  5. "Primeiros cartazes do CDS-PP apostam em temas nacionais". Público (in Portuguese). 6 May 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  6. "Miguel Portas destaca "extraordinário" resultado do Bloco de Esquerda". Público (in Portuguese). 7 June 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  7. "Primeiro debate entre candidatos às eleições europeias terá lugar no Prós e Contras". Público (in Portuguese). 17 April 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  8. "Debate Europeias 2009". Sapo Videos (in Portuguese). 24 April 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  9. "Candidatos às Europeias em debate na TVI24". TVI (in Portuguese). 15 May 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  10. "Debate Europeias 2009". TVI (in Portuguese). 21 May 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  11. "Europeias 2009 - Afluência". eleicoes.mai.gov.pt/europeias2009/index.html (in Portuguese). Ministry of Internal Administration . Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  12. "Europeus arredados das eleições até às 16h00". Público (in Portuguese). 13 June 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  13. "Elecciones al Parlamento Europeo: Resultados por países 1979 – 2014". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.