The Portuguese 2005 legislative election: Return to the left

Abstract:

The 2005 legislative elections were a momentous event in Portuguese democracy. This was so in almost every respect, namely the political, economic and social context in which they were held and also due to the results they produced. Concerning results, the Socialist party obtained its first absolute majority of seats in Parliament, and its largest percentage of the vote in legislative elections; electoral turnout increased for the first time since the mid-1980s; the Right, and especially the largest party in that bloc suffered a heavy defeat; finally, taken together, the left-wing parties won their best result since democratic elections were first held in 1974.

Regarding the context, it is possible to argue that, at least since 1999, Portugal has been undergoing a period of political instability. This has been fuelled by and at the same time has worsened the economic and social context. This report will begin by presenting briefly the context within which the elections were held, as well as the campaign and party programmes. Finally, the electoral results, as well as the party system format, the type of government and the corresponding type of democratic model, will be discussed.