2025 Viseu local election

Main article: 2025 Portuguese local elections

2025 Viseu local elections

←  2021 12 October 2025
All 9 Councillors in the Viseu City Council [1] 5 seats needed for a majority
Leader Fernando Ruas João Azevedo Party PSD PS Last election 5 seats, 46.7% 4 seats, 38.3%   Leader Bernardo Pessanha Hélder Amaral Party CH CDS–PP Last election 0 seats, 3.0% 0 seats, 2.0%
Incumbent Mayor Fernando Ruas PSD

The 2025VIseu local election will be held on 12 October 2025 to elect the members for Viseu City Council, Viseu Municipal Assembly and the city's 25 parish assemblies.

Incumbent Mayor Fernando Ruas, from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), is running for a second consecutive term. ^[2] Former Mayor of Mangualde and former MP João Azevedo was chosen as the candidate of the Socialist Party (PS) again, after his lost in 2021. ^[3] The Chega party (CH) chose the MP Bernardo Pessanha. ^[4] The CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP), who once held the mayorship of the city, chose former MP and former member of the Viseu City Council, Hélder Amaral. ^[5]

Background

In the 2021 election, the PSD held on to their majority with nearly 47% of the votes and elected 6 councillors, with former mayor Fernando Ruas, in office between 1990 and 2013, returning to the post. ^[6] Ruas became the PSD mayoral candidate after the sudden death of then mayor António Almeida Henriques of COVID-19, in April 2021. ^[7] The PS, led by João Azevedo, former mayor of Mangualde (2009–2019), achieved its best showing ever in Viseu with more than 38% of the votes and elected 5 councillors. ^[8] The rest of parties, Chega, the Liberal Initiative, CDS – People's Party, the Left Bloc, People Animals Nature and the Unitary Democratic Coalition polled badly, all with results below 3%.

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. ^{[9] [10]}

Parties and candidates

Party/Coalition			Political position	Candidate	2021 result		Ref.
					Votes (%)	Seats
	PSD	Social Democratic Party Partido Social Democrata	Center-right	Fernando Ruas	46.7%	5 / 9	[11]
	PS	Socialist Party Partido Socialista	Center-left	João Azevedo	38.3%	4 / 9	[12]
	CH	Enough! Chega!	Right-wing to far-right	Bernardo Pessanha	3.0%	0 / 9	[13]
	IL	Liberal Initiative Iniciativa Liberal	Center-right to right-wing	Hélio Marta	2.2%	0 / 9	[14]
	CDS–PP	CDS – People's Party CDS – Partido Popular	Right-wing	Hélder Amaral	2.0%	0 / 9	[15]
	CDU	Unitary Democratic Coalition Coligação Democrática Unitária PCP, PEV	Left-wing to far-left	Leonel Ferreira	1.2%	0 / 9	[16]
	ADN	National Democratic Alternative Alternativa Democrática Nacional	Far-right	Paulo Quintão	—	—	[17]

Campaign period

Party slogans

Party or alliance		Original slogan	English translation	Refs
	PSD	« Viseu Cresce com Futuro. »	"Viseu Grows with a Future."	[18]
	PS	« Nova energia para Viseu. »	"New energy for Viseu."	[19]
	CH	TBA	TBA
	IL	« Prontos para liberalizar Viseu. »	"Ready to liberalize Viseu."	[20]
	CDS–PP	« Viseu com mais ambição. »	"Viseu with more ambition."	[21]
	CDU	TBA	TBA

Candidates' debates

2025 Viseu local election debates
Date	Organisers	Moderator(s)	P Present [a]   NI Not invited  I Invited   A Absent invitee
			PSD Ruas	PS Azevedo	CH Pessanha	IL Marta	CDS–PP Amaral	CDU Ferreira	Refs
20 Sep 2025	RTP3		I	I	I	I	I	I	[22]

Opinion polling

Polling firm/Link	Fieldwork date	Sample size	PSD	CDS	PS	CH	IL	BE	CDU	O	Lead
2025 Legislative election	18 May 2025	—	40.7 (5)		21.5 (2)	22.3 (2)	4.5 (0)	1.5 (0)	1.1 (0)	8.4 (0)	18.4
2024 EP election	9 Jun 2024	—	38.3 (4)		29.9 (3)	9.8 (1)	8.3 (1)	3.5 (0)	1.7 (0)	8.5 (0)	8.4
2024 Legislative election	10 Mar 2024	—	35.6 (4)		25.7 (3)	19.7 (2)	4.0 (0)	3.4 (0)	1.2 (0)	10.4 (0)	8.4
2022 Legislative election	30 Jan 2022	—	36.6 (4)	1.9 (0)	39.2 (4)	8.2 (1)	3.8 (0)	3.6 (0)	1.6 (0)	5.1 (0)	2.6
2021 local election	26 Sep 2021	—	46.7 5	2.0 0	38.3 4	3.0 0	2.2 0	2.0 0	1.2 0	4.6	8.4

Notes

1. Denotes a main invitee attending the event.

References

1. "Mapa do número de mandatos por órgão municipal" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Comissão Nacional de Eleições. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
2. Lusa, Agência. "Autárquicas. Fernando Ruas recandidata-se a segundo e último mandato a Viseu". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-12.
3. Lusa, Agência. "Autárquicas. PS volta a apostar em João Azevedo para a Câmara de Viseu". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-12.
4. Eduardo, Carlos (2025-01-24). "Bernardo Pessanha é o candidato do Chega à Câmara de Viseu - Jornal do Centro" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-12.
5. Rodrigues, Sandra (2025-07-22). "Autárquicas: CDS avança com Hélder Amaral à Câmara de Viseu para "despertar a ambição adormecida dos viseenses" - Jornal do Centro" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-12.
6. "Fernando Ruas: "Vamos pedir para Viseu tudo o que foi prometido"". RTP (in European Portuguese). 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
7. "Morreu Almeida Henriques, presidente da Câmara de Viseu, vítima de covid-19". Público (in European Portuguese). 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
8. "PS em Viseu conseguiu o "melhor resultado de sempre"". RTP (in European Portuguese). 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
9. "::: Lei n.º 169/99, de 18 de Setembro". www.pgdlisboa.pt. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
10. "Eleição dos titulares dos órgãos das autarquias locais" (in Portuguese). Diário da República. 14 August 2001. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
11. Lusa, Agência. "Autárquicas. Fernando Ruas recandidata-se a segundo e último mandato a Viseu". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
12. Lusa, Agência. "Autárquicas. PS volta a apostar em João Azevedo para a Câmara de Viseu". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
13. Eduardo, Carlos (2025-01-24). "Bernardo Pessanha é o candidato do Chega à Câmara de Viseu - Jornal do Centro" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
14. Lopes, Jorge (2025-07-14). "Autárquicas: IL candidata Hélio Marta à presidência da Câmara de Viseu - Jornal do Centro" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
15. "Viseu: na cidade onde o PS nunca mandou, o CDS pode complicar as contas a Fernando Ruas". Expresso (in Portuguese). 2025-08-12. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
16. Lopes, Jorge (2025-03-31). "Autárquicas'25: Leonel Ferreira é o candidato da CDU à Câmara de Viseu - Jornal do Centro" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
17. "Autárquicas. ADN aposta em Paulo Quintão para Viseu". Observador (in Portuguese). 2025-08-28. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
18. "Com Fernando Ruas, Viseu Cresce com Futuro". PSD Viseu Facebook account (in Portuguese). 16 August 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
19. "Vamos juntos trazer uma nova energia a Viseu!". João Azevedo Facebook account (in Portuguese). 22 June 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
20. "Está entregue!". IL Viseu Facebook account (in Portuguese). 14 August 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
21. "None". CDS Concelhia Viseu Facebook account (in Portuguese). 20 August 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
22. "RTP vai ter 22 debates com candidatos autárquicos". RTP (in Portuguese). 7 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.

External links

• Interior Ministry election results page