1993 Portuguese local elections

1993 Portuguese local elections
All 305 Portuguese municipalities and 4,260 Portuguese Parishes; All 2,015 local government councils
Turnout	63.4% 2.5 pp

The Portuguese local elections of 1993 took place on 12 December. The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, 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 4,200 parishes around the country.

The Socialist Party (PS) maintained and increased their status as the largest local party. The party won 7 more cities compared with 1989 and, for the first time ever, polled above 40% of the votes.^[4] The PS hold on the control of big cities like Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra, and were also able to win two big cities in the Lisbon area from the PSD, Cascais and Sintra.

The Social Democrats (PSD), although winning 2 more cities compared with last time, saw the gap between them and the PS widen, but, at the same, were able to hold onto their ground. The party suffered some losses, like they did in 1989, in the big urban centers but were able to win some cities from the PS like Pombal and Ponta Delgada. The elections happened as Cavaco Silva's government celebrated 8 years in power, and, at the same time Portugal was exiting the early 1990s recession which may have hurt the PSD electoral chances.

The Democratic Unity Coalition (CDU) was able to hold on to their 1989 scores losing just one city and 7 councillors. The coalition between the Communists and the Greens were able to hold on to their bastions of Beja, Évora and Almada. The share of the vote for the CDU was also unchanged compared with 1989.

The People's Party (CDS) was the big loser of the elections. The party lost 7 cities, most of them for the PSD and PS, achieving their worst results till that date as they only won 13 cities out of 305. The party lost many of their bastions like Mirandela or Paredes to the PS or the PSD. The party also achieved their worst share of vote till that time, 8.4%.

Turnout in these elections increased compared with the 1989 election, as 63.4% of the electorate cast a ballot, the best turnout showing since 1982.

Parties

The main political forces involved in the election were:

¹ The PS formed a coalitions with CDS, CDU and UDP in several municipalities.

National summary of votes and seats

Municipal Councils

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF66FF;" data-sort-value="Socialist Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF9900;" data-sort-value="Social Democratic Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF0000;" data-sort-value="Democratic Unity Coalition" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #0093DD;" data-sort-value="CDS – People's Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #000080;" data-sort-value="National Solidarity Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #013220;" data-sort-value="Earth Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #E2062C;" data-sort-value="People's Democratic Union (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #00B233;" data-sort-value="Democratic Renewal Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkred;" data-sort-value="Portuguese Democratic Movement" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #0000FF;" data-sort-value="Democratic Party of the Atlantic" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #2A5392;" data-sort-value="People's Monarchist Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: yellow;" data-sort-value="Christian Democratic Party (Portugal)" |

e • d Summary of the 12 December 1993 Municipal Councils elections results
Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	Councillors		Mayors
Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	#	±	#	±
Socialist	1,953,279	36.10	3.7		796	68	126	10
Social Democratic	1,824,519	33.72	2.3		806	26	116	3
Democratic Unity Coalition	689,923	12.75	0.1		246	7	49	1
People's	454,047	8.39	0.7		135	44	13	7
	PS / CDU / UDP / PSR	200,816	3.71	0.0		11	2	1	0
National Solidarity	28,716	0.53	—		3	—	0	—
Earth	23,225	0.43	—		2	—	0	—
Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat	16,090	0.30	0.2		0	0	0	0
	Socialist / People's	11,435	0.21	0.2		7	8	0	3
	PS / CDU / UDP / PDA	10,234	0.19	—		4	—	0	—
Popular Democratic Union	8,161	0.15	0.2		0	4	0	1
Democratic Renewal	1,456	0.03	0.8		0	4	0	0
Portuguese Democratic Movement	1,387	0.03	0.2		1	0	0	0
Democratic Party of the Atlantic	287	0.01	0.0		0	0	0	0
PPM	269	0.00	0.1		0	1	0	0
Christian Democratic	216	0.00	0.1		0	1	0	0
	PS / CDU	190	0.00	—		4	—	0	—
Total valid		5,223,673	96.54	0.0	—	2,015	13	305	0
Blank ballots		103,686	1.92	0.1
Invalid ballots		83,251	1.54	0.1
Total (turnout 63.43%)		5,410,610	100.00	2.5
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Municipal Assemblies

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF66FF;" data-sort-value="Socialist Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF9900;" data-sort-value="Social Democratic Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF0000;" data-sort-value="Democratic Unity Coalition" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #0093DD;" data-sort-value="CDS – People's Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #000080;" data-sort-value="National Solidarity Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #013220;" data-sort-value="Earth Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #E2062C;" data-sort-value="People's Democratic Union (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: red;" data-sort-value="Revolutionary Socialist Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #2A5392;" data-sort-value="People's Monarchist Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #00B233;" data-sort-value="Democratic Renewal Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkred;" data-sort-value="Portuguese Democratic Movement" |

e • d Summary of the 12 December 1993 Municipal Assemblies elections results
Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	Mandates
Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	#	±
Socialist	1,930,816	35.70	2.5		2,629	200
Social Democratic	1,829,087	33.82	1.3		2,671	98
Democratic Unity Coalition	704,980	13.04	0.8		803	46
People's	445,065	8.23	1.1		556	156
	PS / CDU / UDP / PSR	194,501	3.60	0.2		32	9
National Solidarity	23,260	0.43	—		16	—
Earth	22,653	0.42	—		11	—
Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat	12,063	0.22	0.0		1	1
	Socialist / People's	11,905	0.22	0.5		24	17
People's Democratic Union	11,009	0.20	0.2		2	12
	PS / CDU / UDP / PDA	9,958	0.18	—		11	—
Revolutionary Socialist	9,733	0.18	—		0	—
PPM	3,494	0.06	0.1		0	2
Democratic Renewal	1,476	0.03	0.9		2	24
Portuguese Democratic Movement	1,340	0.02	0.2		4	2
	PS / CDU	96	0.00	—		7	—
Total valid		5,211,436	96.36	0.1	—	6,769	16
Blank ballots		111,834	2.07	0.0
Invalid ballots		85,042	1.57	0.1
Total (turnout 63.40%)		5,408,312	100.00	3.6
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Parish Assemblies

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF66FF;" data-sort-value="Socialist Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF9900;" data-sort-value="Social Democratic Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FF0000;" data-sort-value="Democratic Unity Coalition" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #0093DD;" data-sort-value="CDS – People's Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #000080;" data-sort-value="National Solidarity Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #013220;" data-sort-value="Earth Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #E2062C;" data-sort-value="People's Democratic Union (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #CC0000;" data-sort-value="Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #00B233;" data-sort-value="Democratic Renewal Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkred;" data-sort-value="Portuguese Democratic Movement" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #2A5392;" data-sort-value="People's Monarchist Party (Portugal)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkred;" data-sort-value="Left Revolutionary Front (Portugal)" |

e • d Summary of the 12 December 1993 Parish Assemblies elections results
Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	Mandates		Presidents
Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	#	±	#	±
Socialist	1,860,188	34.53	2.3		12,312	1,124
Social Democratic	1,810,841	33.62	0.7		13,679	442
Democratic Unity Coalition	714,001	13.26	0.8		2,747	177
People's	418,998	7.78	0.6		2,719	725
	PS / CDU / UDP / PSR	199,275	3.70	0.2		447	55
	Independents	123,351	2.29	0.4		1,234	225
National Solidarity	21,462	0.40	—		55	—		—
Earth	12,490	0.23	—		38	—		—
	Socialist / People's	11,913	0.22	0.5		124	57
	PS / CDU / UDP / PDA	10,593	0.20	—		80	—		—
People's Democratic Union	7,639	0.14	0.4		2	28
Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat	3,820	0.07	0.0		1	1
Democratic Renewal	1,525	0.03	0.6		10	48
Portuguese Democratic Movement	1,163	0.02	0.2		8	5
PPM	306	0.01	0.0		2	7
Left Revolutionary Front	77	0.00	—		0	—		—
Total valid		5,197,642	96.49	0.1	—	33,458	458
Blank ballots		99,518	1.85	0.0
Invalid ballots		89,490	1.66	0.1
Total (turnout 63.15%)		5,386,650	100.00	7.9
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

References

^ Sum of votes between PS-only lists and lists with other parties.
^ Number of municipalities won between PS-only lists and lists with other parties. PS-only lists: 126; PS-coalition lists: 1.
^ Sum of councillors between PS-only lists and lists with other parties.
^ "As cores políticas que pintam o mapa do poder local de 1976 a 2013". Jornal de Negócios (in Portuguese). 2017.

External links

[1] Sum of votes between PS-only lists and lists with other parties.

[2] Number of municipalities won between PS-only lists and lists with other parties. PS-only lists: 126; PS-coalition lists: 1.

[3] Sum of councillors between PS-only lists and lists with other parties.

[JN-4] "As cores políticas que pintam o mapa do poder local de 1976 a 2013". Jornal de Negócios (in Portuguese). 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Elections and referendums in Portugal
Presidential elections	1918 (Apr) 1923 1928 1935 1942 1949 1951 1958 1976 1980 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 2026
Parliamentary elections	1822 1826 1828 1834 1836 (Jul) 1836 (Nov) 1838 1840 1842 1845 1847 1851 1852 1856 1858 1860 1861 1864 1865 1867 1868 1869 1870 (Mar) 1870 (Sep) 1871 1874 1878 1879 1881 1884 1887 1889 1890 1892 1894 1895 1897 1899 1900 1901 1904 1905 1906 (Apr) 1906 (Aug) 1908 1910 1913 1915 1918 1919 1921 1922 1925 1934 1938 1942 1945 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1976 1979 1980 1983 1985 1987 1991 1995 1999 2002 2005 2009 2011 2015 2019 2022 2024 Next
Constituent Assembly elections	1820 1911 1975
Local elections	1976 1979 1982 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
European elections	1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024 2029
Referendums	1933 1998 (Jun) 1998 (Nov) 2007
See also: Elections in the Azores Madeira Lisbon Porto Presidential elections