2025 Portuguese local elections

Last updated
2025 Portuguese local elections
Flag of Portugal.svg
←  2021 September/October 2025
All 308 Portuguese municipalities and 3,000+ [1] Portuguese Parishes
All 2,000+ local government councillors
Opinion polls
 
Pedro Nuno Santos, projecto da alta velocidade Lisboa-Porto-Vigo (2022-10-01), cropped.png
Luis Montenegro.jpg
Paulo Raimundo (Agencia Lusa 2023-10-18) (cropped).png
Leader Pedro Nuno Santos Luís Montenegro Paulo Raimundo
Party PS PSD PCP
Alliance CDU
Last election148 mayors, 37.1%114 mayors, 32.1%19 mayors, 8.2%

The Portuguese local election of 2025 will take place on late September or early October of the same year. The election consistes 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, as well an election for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president. This last will be held separately in the more than 3,000 parishes around the country.

Contents

In this election, 42.9% of incumbent mayors, 132 to be precise, will be barred from running for another term: 63 from the PS, 47 from the PSD, 13 from CDU, 6 Independents and 3 from the CDS–PP. [2] The number of parishes up for election could also grow from the current 3,092 because of changes in the 2013 local reform law that will allow the separation of merged parishes. [3]

Background

Date

According to the local election law, an election must be called between 22 September and 14 October of the year that the local mandates end. The election is called by a Government of Portugal decree, unlike general elections which are called by the President of the Republic. The Election date must be announced at least 80 days before election day. Election day is the same in all municipalities, and should fall on a Sunday or national holiday. The 2025 local elections should, therefore, take place no later than 12 October 2025. [4]

Electoral system

Map of the 308 municipalities up for election. Mapa de Portugal (subdivisiones).svg
Map of the 308 municipalities up for election.

All 308 municipalities are allocated a certain number of councilors to elect corresponding to the number of registered voters in a given municipality. Each party or coalition must present a list of candidates. 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.

Council seats and Parish assembly seats are distributed as follows:

Seat allocation for the 2025 local election [5]
CouncilorsParish Assembly
SeatsVotersSeatsVoters
17only Lisbon 19+amore than 30,000 voters
13only Porto 19more than 20,000 voters
11100,000 voters or more13more than 5,000 voters
9more than 50,000 voters9more than 1,000 voters
7more than 10,000 voters71,000 voters or less
510,000 voters or less

a For parishes with more than 30,000 voters, the number of seats mentioned above is increased by one per every 10,000 voters in excess of that number, and then by one more if the result is even.

Parties

The main political forces that will be involved in the election are:

1 The PSD and the CDS–PP are expected to form coalitions in several municipalities between them and with some smaller center-right/right-wing parties like the Earth Party (MPT) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM).

Opinion polls

Current City control

The following table lists the current party control in all district capitals, as well as in municipalities above 100,000 inhabitants. Population estimates from 2022. [6]

MunicipalityPopulationCurrent controlNew control
Almada 178,254 Socialist Party (PS)
Amadora 174,511 Socialist Party (PS)
Aveiro 83,508 PSD / CDS–PP / PPM
Barcelos 116,493 PSD / CDS–PP
Beja 33,504 Socialist Party (PS)
Braga 197,594 PSD / CDS–PP / PPM / Alliance
Bragança 34,977 Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Cascais 213,928 PSD / CDS–PP
Castelo Branco 52,366 Socialist Party (PS)
Coimbra 142,252 PSD / CDS–PP / NC / PPM / Alliance / RIR / Volt
Évora 53,625 Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU)
Faro 68,192 PSD / CDS–PP / PPM / MPT
Funchal 106,429 PSD / CDS–PP
Gondomar 166,900 Socialist Party (PS)
Guarda 39,785 Independent (IND)
Guimarães 156,277 Socialist Party (PS)
Leiria 130,605 Socialist Party (PS)
Lisbon 548,703 PSD / CDS–PP / Alliance / MPT / PPM
Loures 203,724 Socialist Party (PS)
Maia 140,041 PSD / CDS–PP
Matosinhos 176,617 Socialist Party (PS)
Odivelas 150,366 Socialist Party (PS)
Oeiras 172,742 Independent (IND)
Ponta Delgada 68,314 Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Portalegre 21,999 PSD / CDS–PP
Porto 240,592 Independent (IND)
Santarém 60,042 Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Santa Maria da Feira 138,344 Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Seixal 169,797 Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU)
Setúbal 122,547 Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU)
Sintra 388,767 Socialist Party (PS)
Viana do Castelo 86,099 Socialist Party (PS)
Vila Franca de Xira 137,994 Socialist Party (PS)
Vila Nova de Famalicão 134,883 PSD / CDS–PP
Vila Nova de Gaia 307,563 Socialist Party (PS)
Vila Real 49,610 Socialist Party (PS)
Viseu 100,105 Social Democratic Party (PSD)

See also

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References

  1. ↑ DGAI - Reorganização Administrativa do Território das Freguesias - (RATF)
  2. ↑ "Autárquicas: renovação por limite de mandato foi de 44%". www.expresso.pt/ (in Portuguese). Expresso. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Pelo menos 185 freguesias pediram ao parlamento para se desagregarem". www.dn.pt/ (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Lei Eleitoral dos Orgãos das Autarquias Locais" (PDF). Comissão Nacional de Eleições (in Portuguese): 57. 2020.
  5. ↑ "AUTARQUIAS LOCAIS - COMPETÊNCIAS E REGIME JURÍDICO". Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa (in Portuguese). 2018.
  6. ↑ "População residente (N.º) por Local de residência (NUTS - 2013), Sexo e Grupo etário (Por ciclos de vida); Anual". www.ine.pt (in Portuguese). Statistics Portugal . Retrieved 11 July 2023.
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