2009 Portuguese legislative election

2009 Portuguese legislative election

← 2005 27 September 2009 2011 →

230 seats to the Portuguese Assembly
116 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered9,519,921 Increase6.4%
Turnout5,681,258 (59.7%)
Decrease4.6 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
José Socrates cropped from Dmitry Medvedev in Portugal 20 November 2010-2 (cropped).png
Manuela Ferreira Leite.jpg
P Portas 2009 (cropped).png
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 Decrease 24 Increase 6 Increase9
Popular vote 2,077,238 1,653,665 592,778
Percentage 36.6% 29.1% 10.4%
Swing Decrease 8.4 pp Increase 0.3 pp Increase 3.2 pp

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Deputados do Bloco de Esquerda (16) (4026598621).jpg
Jerónimo de Sousa 2007b (cropped).jpg
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 Increase8 Increase1
Popular vote 557,306 446,279
Percentage 9.8% 7.9%
Swing Increase 3.4 pp Increase 0.3 pp


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.

  1. ^ Cavaco Silva marca eleições legislativas para 27 Setembro, Antena 1, 27 August 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. ^ PS e PSD separados por dois pontos nas sondagens, Público, 11 September 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.
  3. ^ PS com vantagem de 8 pontos percentuais sobre o PSD, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, 24 September 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.
  4. ^ PS vence com 36,56 por cento, mais 7,47 por cento que o PSD, TSF Radio, 28 September 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.