Global Information2009 Portuguese legislative election information
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230 seats to the Portuguese Assembly 116 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 9,519,921  6.4% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 5,681,258 (59.7%) 4.6 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2009 Portuguese legislative election was held on 27 September, to renew all 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic.[6] 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.[7]
The Socialist Party of Prime Minister José Sócrates came in first despite losing 9% of the vote and 24 seats.
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 Socialists won the election with a clear lead over the conservative Social Democrats, with big gains for the People's Party and for the Left Bloc.
The election took place during the regular end of the previous four-year legislative period. From 2005 to 2009 ruled by the Socialist Party (PS), led by José Sócrates, 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,[8] but just days before the election the Socialists increased their lead over the Social Democrats.[9] 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.
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% of the vote and 128 seats, against 39.54% 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% of the electorate cast a ballot.
- ^ Assembleia da República - Deputados e Grupos Parlamentares José Sócrates, Assembly of the Republic, retrieved 10 October 2022
- ^ Assembleia da República - Deputados e Grupos Parlamentares Manuela Ferreira Leite, Assembly of the Republic, retrieved 10 October 2022
- ^ Assembleia da República - Deputados e Grupos Parlamentares Paulo Portas, Assembly of the Republic, retrieved 10 October 2022
- ^ Assembleia da República - Deputados e Grupos Parlamentares Francisco Louçã, Assembly of the Republic, retrieved 10 October 2022
- ^ Assembleia da República - Deputados e Grupos Parlamentares Jerónimo de Sousa, Assembly of the Republic, retrieved 10 October 2022
- ^ Cavaco Silva marca eleições legislativas para 27 Setembro, Antena 1, 27 August 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ PS vence com 36,56 por cento, mais 7,47 por cento que o PSD, TSF Radio, 28 September 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ PS e PSD separados por dois pontos nas sondagens, Público, 11 September 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ PS com vantagem de 8 pontos percentuais sobre o PSD, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, 24 September 2009, retrieved 10 October 2022.