This is a follow-up to my diary
Portuguese Elections which gives an overall view of the current political situation.
Counting is over and official results are in. Even though, recent polls have shown hard trends aproximating the actual results, many people were actually surprised by the ballot box verdict.
more after the break...
The two right wing party coalition were the ruling forces and you don't expect incumbents to perform so poorly. The Socialist Party which lost power in the 2002 elections, came back strong and not only managed the majority of the votes but achieved
absolute Parliamentary majority.
Another positive development was the above expectations performance of the other two Leftist parties.
Link and Table of Results with comparative figures from the last election.
Party |
2005/% |
2005/Reps |
2002/% |
2002/Reps |
PS- Socialist Party |
45.03% |
119 |
37.84% |
95 |
PSD- Social Democrats |
28.70% |
73 |
40.15% |
102 |
CDU- Communists/Greens |
7.57% |
14 |
6.97% |
12 |
CDS/PP- Popular Party |
7.27% |
12 |
8.75% |
14 |
BE- Leftist Block |
6.38% |
8 |
2.75% |
3 |
99% of votes counted
35% abstention
The defeat of the Right (PSD & CDS/PP) was so extensive that soon after results were announced, their respective leaders quit their posts.
The Communist Party ran a very good campaign and reaped the rewards by becoming the 3rd political power. In practical terms, it does not mean that much since they will not be in the formation of the new government. It's a good result though basically because of a reversal in trend.
The Leftist Block is ecstatic from their success. It was formed in 1999 and mostly considered a "fringe" party. Guess what... it's been doubling its share in every election and now everyone is taking them seriously. A great opposition party because they stand up for what they believe. People are beginning to see thru the "labels" passed on them by the media and the establishment.
Overall, a happy day for me :-))