2009 Portuguese legislative election

2009 Portuguese legislative election

← 2005 27 September 2009 2011 →
elected members →
230 seats to the Portuguese Assembly 116 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	9,519,921 6.4%
Turnout	5,681,258 (59.7%) 4.6 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader José Sócrates Manuela Ferreira Leite Paulo Portas Party PS PSD CDS–PP Leader since 26 September 2004 31 May 2008 21 April 2007 Leader's seat Castelo Branco Lisbon Aveiro Last election 121 seats, 45.0% 75 seats, 28.8% 12 seats, 7.2% Seats won 97 81 21 Seat change 24 6 9 Popular vote 2,077,238 1,653,665 592,778 Percentage 36.6% 29.1% 10.4% Swing 8.4 pp 0.3 pp 3.2 pp   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Francisco Louçã Jerónimo de Sousa Party BE PCP Alliance CDU Leader since 24 March 1999 27 November 2004 Leader's seat Lisbon Lisbon Last election 8 seats, 6.4% 14 seats, 7.5% Seats won 16 15 Seat change 8 1 Popular vote 557,306 446,279 Percentage 9.8% 7.9% Swing 3.4 pp 0.3 pp
Vote winner strength by district Results by constituency
Prime Minister before election José Sócrates PS Prime Minister after election José Sócrates PS

The 2009 Portuguese legislative election was held on 27 September, to renew all 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic.^[1] In these elections there were approximately 9.5 million Portuguese at home and abroad called to determine the 230 seats in the Assembleia da República and 18th constitutional government in Portugal after 1976.

The election took place during the regular end of the previous four-year legislative period. From 2005 to 2009, the Socialist Party (PS), led by José Sócrates, governed with an absolute majority. The opinion polls at the beginning of the official election campaign on 12 September 2009, showed a too close to call race between the Socialists and the conservative Social Democrats,^[2] but just days before the election the Socialists increased their lead over the Social Democrats.^[3] A total of 13 parties and two coalitions competed in this election. Focus of the campaign was the impact of global economic, the financial crisis and the construction of new infrastructure projects, including the high-speed rail link Lisbon-Madrid and Lisbon-Porto-Vigo, and the new Lisbon airport.

The Socialist Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister José Sócrates, won the largest number of seats, but didn't repeat the overall majority they gained in 2005.^[4] The Socialists came in first, despite losing 9 percent of the vote and 24 seats, with a clear lead over the conservative Social Democrats, with big gains for the People's Party and for the Left Bloc.

Neither of the two major parties won an absolute majority in the Assembly of the Republic, so, the future prime minister had to form a coalition, or at least rely on other parties to govern. In that case, José Sócrates was in a better position than Manuela Ferreira Leite, since the Portuguese left won by 54.23 percent of the vote and 128 seats, against 39.54 percent and 102 deputies to the right.

On 12 October, José Sócrates was invited by President Aníbal Cavaco Silva to form government. The new cabinet was announced on 22 October and sworn in on 26 October. Voter turnout was one of the lowest in Portuguese election history, as 59.7 percent of the electorate cast a ballot.