The election for the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) is scheduled to hold on the 6th of October this year and all 230 seats in the unicameral parliament are in contention.
The election promises to throw up old rivalries within the prominent parties as the ruling Socialist party hopes to retain its mandate for a second time and the ousted Social Democrats hope to retain its lead in the house.
The Parties
Partido Social Democrata (Social Democratic Party, PSD) – A centre-right party that won the most seats in the 2015 elections. It created an electoral alliance with the People’s Party (CDS-PP) and, together, they formed a short-lived government after the 2015 elections led by Pedro Coelho.
Partido Socialista(Socialist Party, PS) – The ruling centre-left socialist party is led by Prime Minister Antonio Costa. The party came second in the 2015 elections and currently leads a minority government.
Coligação Democrática Unitária(Unitary Democratic Coalition, CDU) – An electoral alliance between the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Ecologist Party “The Greens” (PEV). The coalition is led by Jerónimo de Sousa, and currently provides confidence and supply for the Socialist government.
Bloco de Esquerda(Left Bloc, BE) – A far-left party which emerged in Portugal back in 1999 following the merger of three political groups. It currently provides support for the Socialist government. Actress, Catarina Martins is the Coordinator of the party.
Pessoas-Animais-Natureza(People-Animals-Nature, PAN) –An environmental and animal rights party founded in 2009. It won a seat in the Assembly following the 2015 election. It is led by Andre Silva.
Background
In the previous parliamentary elections of 2015, the PSD won as part of a coalition with the CDS-PP – the Portugal Ahead (PàS) coalition. Thus, Coelho was given the mandate to form the government.
Number of Seats Won in the Previous Election:
- PSD: 89
- CDS-PP: 18
- PS: 86
- Left Bloc: 19
- CDU: 17
- PAN: 1
The Portuguese government was however ousted following an unprecedented alliance among the left-wing parties, which subsequently voted to reject Coelho’s program. As a result of this, the PS leader, Antonio Costo, became Prime Minister with support from the CDU and the Left Bloc.
What Do the Polls Say?
Opinion polls show the Socialist winning about 38 per cent of the vote with the PSD poised to receive 25 per cent. However, the Socialists would still fall short of a majority in parliament and would need the support of another party.
Costa has, however, ruled out the possibility of a coalition government preferring, instead, to continue the current pact with other parties in Portugal.
