1985 Portuguese local elections

Local elections were held in Portugal on 15 December 1985. They were the fourth local elections in Portugal since the democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power. The elections took place just nine weeks after the 1985 legislative election and just one month before the 1986 Presidential elections.

1985 Portuguese local elections

← 1982 15 December 1985 1989 →

All 305 Portuguese municipalities and 4,260 Portuguese Parishes
All 1,975 local government councils
Turnout63.0% Decrease 8.1 pp
  First party Second party
 
Cavaco Silva 1988.png
PS
Leader Aníbal Cavaco Silva António Macedo
Party PSD PS
Last election 88 mayors, 15.0%[1] 83 mayors, 31.2%
Popular vote 1,633,247 1,318,287
Percentage 34.2% 27.6%
Swing Increase 19.2 pp Decrease 3.6 pp
Mayors 149 79
Mayors +/– Increase 61 Decrease 4
Councillors 819 574
Councillors +/– Increase 380 Decrease 45

  Third party Fourth party
 
Alvaro Cunhal 1980 (cropped).jpg
CDS
Leader Álvaro Cunhal Lucas Pires
Party PCP CDS
Alliance APU
Last election 55 mayors, 20.9% 27 mayors, 7.4%[2]
Popular vote 935,897 466,965
Percentage 19.6% 9.8%
Swing Decrease 1.3 pp Increase 2.4 pp
Mayors 47 27
Mayors +/– Decrease 8 Steady 0
Councillors 303 222
Councillors +/– Decrease 13 Increase 37

The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities that existed at the time, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is automatically elected mayor, similar to first-past-the-post (FPTP), another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president, this last was held separately in the more than 4,000 parishes around the country. This election was the first to grant a 4-years term, instead of the former 3 years. The number of members of the Municipal Assemblies and Parish Assemblies was greatly reduced in comparison with the former election.

For the first time, the Social Democratic Party achieved the majority of the voting by itself, since the coalition with the Democratic and Social Center, the Democratic Alliance, that achieved good results in 1979 and 1982 had been disbanded. Despite finishing second and losing almost 4 points in share, the Socialist Party lost only 4 of the former 83 mayors plus the presidency achieved in coalition with the Leftwing Union for the Socialist Democracy.

The Democratic and Social Center, this time participating alone in every election, after the end of the Democratic Alliance, continued its electoral decline, gathering only 10 percent of the votes. Despite keeping the same number of mayors achieved in 1982, in the municipalities where it ran alone, 27, the party lost 49 presidencies achieved in coalition with the Social Democrats.

The Portuguese Communist Party and the Portuguese Democratic Movement, united in the United People Alliance, lost one percentage point in comparison with the election of 1982 and lost 8 mayors, gathering only 47 presidencies. However, despite only a small drop in share of the vote, in the elections to Municipal Assemblies, the coalition lost almost 700 assembly members, decreasing its representation to 1062 members due to the overall reduction of mandates.

The newly founded Democratic Renewal Party, achieved almost 5 percent of the voting and the presidency of 3 municipalities. In the elections to Municipal Assemblies it gathered almost 6% of the voting and 270 Assembly members, being the great surprise of the election.

Turnout in these elections fell more than eight points compared with 1982, with 63 percent of voters casting a ballot. It was also the last local election under a 3-year term.

Parties

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The main political forces involved in the election were:

Results

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Municipal Councils

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National summary of votes and seats

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Summary of the 15 December 1985 Municipal Councils elections results
Parties Votes % ±pp swing Candidacies Councillors Mayors
Total ± Total ±
Social Democratic 1,633,247 34.19  19.2 819  380 149  61
Socialist 1,318,287 27.60  3.6 574  45 79  4
United People Alliance 935,897 19.59  1.3 303  13 47  8
Democratic and Social Centre 466,965 9.78  2.3 222  37 27  0
Democratic Renewal 224,161 4.69 49 3
People's Democratic Union 28,701 0.60  0.0 3  0 0  0
People's Monarchist 23,968 0.50  0.3 3  2 0  1
Portuguese Workers' Communist 10,967 0.23  2.1 0  0 0  0
Christian Democratic 7,910 0.17  0.2 2  0 0  0
Workers Party of Socialist Unity 2,324 0.05  0.0 0  0 0  0
Total valid 4,631,497 96.97  0.6 1,975  66 305  0
Blank ballots 73,784 1.54  0.3
Invalid ballots 71,126 1.49  0.3
Total 4,776,407 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 7,578,622 63.02  8.0

Municipality map

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Most voted parties or coalitions in each Municipality.
Municipalities won by:
- PSD: 149
- PS: 79
- APU: 47
- CDS: 27
- PRD: 3

City control

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The following table lists party control in all district capitals, highlighted in bold, as well as in municipalities above 100,000 inhabitants. Population estimates from the 1981 Census.[3]

Municipality Population Previous control New control
Almada 147,690 United People Alliance (APU) United People Alliance (APU)
Amadora 163,878 United People Alliance (APU) United People Alliance (APU)
Aveiro 60,284 Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Barcelos 103,773 Social Democratic Party (PSD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Beja 38,246 United People Alliance (APU) United People Alliance (APU)
Braga 125,472 Socialist Party (PS) Socialist Party (PS)
Bragança 35,380 Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Cascais 141,498 Social Democratic Party (PSD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Castelo Branco 54,908 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Coimbra 138,930 Socialist Party (PS) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Évora 51,572 United People Alliance (APU) United People Alliance (APU)
Faro 45,109 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Funchal 112,746 Social Democratic Party (PSD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Gondomar 130,751 Socialist Party (PS) Socialist Party (PS)
Guarda 40,360 Socialist Party (PS) Socialist Party (PS)
Guimarães 146,959 Socialist Party (PS) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Leiria 96,517 Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Lisbon 807,937 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Loures 276,467 United People Alliance (APU) United People Alliance (APU)
Matosinhos 136,498 Socialist Party (PS) Socialist Party (PS)
Oeiras 149,328 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Ponta Delgada 63,804 Social Democratic Party (PSD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Portalegre 27,313 Socialist Party (PS) Socialist Party (PS)
Porto 327,368 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Santarém 62,896 Socialist Party (PS) Socialist Party (PS)
Santa Maria da Feira 109,531 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Setúbal 98,366 United People Alliance (APU) Socialist Party (PS)
Sintra 226,428 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Viana do Castelo 81,009 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Vila Nova de Famalicão 106,508 Socialist Party (PS) Socialist Party (PS)
Vila Nova de Gaia 226,331 Socialist Party (PS) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Vila Real 47,020 Democratic Alliance (AD) Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Viseu 83,261 Social Democratic Party (PSD) Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)

Municipal Assemblies

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National summary of votes and seats

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Summary of the 15 December 1985 Municipal Assemblies elections results
Parties Votes % ±pp swing Candidacies Mandates
Total ±
Social Democratic 1,391,500 29.59  15.5 2,509  361
Socialist 1,142,381 24.30  6.9 1,796  1,386
United People Alliance 953,935 20.29  0.8 1,056  707
Democratic and Social Centre 761,855 16.20  8.7 1,015  12
Democratic Renewal 245,830 5.22 273
People's Democratic Union 31,899 0.68  0.0 14  7
People's Monarchist 15,949 0.34  0.1 7  21
Portuguese Workers' Communist 6,396 0.14  0.0 0  0
Christian Democratic 4,002 0.09  0.1 2  0
Socialist League of the Workers 783 0.02 0
Workers Party of Socialist Unity 254 0.00  0.1 0  0
Total valid 4,543,206 96.62  0.7 6,672  3,225
Blank ballots 88,935 1.89  0.4
Invalid ballots 69,854 1.48  0.3
Total 4,701,995 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 7,444,150 63.16  8.1

Parish Assemblies

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National summary of votes and seats

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Summary of the 15 December 1985 Parish Assemblies elections results
Parties Votes % ±pp swing Candidacies Mandates Presidents
Total ± Total ±
Social Democratic 1,584,427 32.85  17.4 13,118  3,619
Socialist 1,303,425 27.02  4.0 9,039  3,764
United People Alliance 993,767 20.60  1.2 3,676  1,321
Democratic and Social Centre 507,499 10.52  2.8 4,531  306
Democratic Renewal 164,345 3.41 726
Independents 67,601 1.40  0.1 797  241
People's Democratic Union 28,572 0.59  0.1 26  4
Portuguese Workers' Communist 4,153 0.09  0.0 0  0
People's Monarchist 2,585 0.05  0.1 24  75
Christian Democratic 1,021 0.02  0.0 4  4
Workers Party of Socialist Unity 792 0.02  0.0 0  0
Total valid 4,658,187 96.57  0.3 31,941
Blank ballots 84,797 1.77  0.0
Invalid ballots 80,766 1.67  0.2
Total 4,823,750 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 7,652,786 63.52  6.1

Maps

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Notes

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Further Notes:

  • United People Alliance (APU) was composed by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP/CDE).
  • The number of candidacies expresses the number of municipalities or parishes in which the party or coalition presented lists.
  • The number of mandates expresses the number of municipal deputies in the Municipal Assembly election and the number of parish deputies in the Parish Assembly election.
  • The turnout varies because one may choose not to vote for all the organs.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cities where the PSD contested alone. Not with coalitions with CDS or PPM.
  2. ^ Cities where the CDS contested alone. Not with coalitions with PSD or PPM.
  3. ^ "Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Recenseamentos Gerais da População)". www.ine.pt (in Portuguese). Statistics Portugal. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
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