1979 Portuguese local elections

Local elections were held in Portugal on 16 December 1979. They were the 2nd local elections in Portugal since the democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power. The elections took place just two weeks after the 1979 legislative election.

The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is automatically elected mayor, similar to first-past-the-post (FPTP), 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 4,000 parishes around the country.

The Socialist Party finished on the top of the results table, however that was because the coalition between the two major right-wing parties, the Democratic and Social Center and the Social Democratic Party, the Democratic Alliance, did not participated in all Municipalities and Parishes, being the parties which composed it, separated in many Municipalities

The left-wing United People Alliance dominated the election in the municipalities of the South of the country, gathering more than 60 percent of the votes.

Turnout in these elections increased compared with the 1976 election, as 71.7 percent of the electorate cast a ballot, the highest turnout recorded in a nationwide local election.

Parties

The main political forces involved in the election were:

• Democratic Alliance (AD) (only in some municipalities)
• Democratic and Social Center (CDS) (only in some municipalities)
• Socialist Party (PS)
• Social Democratic Party (PSD) (only in some municipalities)
• United People Alliance (APU)

Results

Municipal Councils

National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 16 December 1979 Municipal Councils elections resultsTemplate:Election table/category

Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	Councillors		Mayors
						Total	±	Total	±
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	1,258,966	28.33	Decrease4.7	297	516	Decrease175	60	Decrease55
	Democratic Alliance	1,044,642	23.51	—	138	426	—	73	—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell[A]	885,899	19.94	Increase2.6	295	316	Increase48	50	Increase13
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	723,953	16.29	Decrease8.0	156	475	Decrease149	101	Decrease14
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	334,258	7.52	Decrease9.1	102	156	Decrease161	20	Decrease16
style="width: 10px" bgcolor=Template:Party color align="center" |	People's Democratic Union	53,076	1.19	—	95	3	—	0	—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	19,508	0.44	Decrease0.2	63	0	Steady0	0	Steady0
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	6,631	0.15	—	9	2	—	0	—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	6,219	0.14	Decrease0.1	3	6	Increase3	1	Steady0
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	1,882	0.04	—	7	0	—	0	—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	273	0.01	—	2	0	—	0	—
Total valid		4,271,897	97.56	Increase1.8	—	1,900	Decrease8	305	Increase1
Blank ballots		44,693	1.01	Decrease1.1
Invalid ballots		63,679	1.43	Decrease0.7
Total		4,380,269	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		6,105,651	71.74	Increase7.1
A In 1976, as Electoral Front United People.

Municipality map

File:Autárquicas portuguesas de 1979 (Mapa Câmara).png

Most voted parties or coalitions in each Municipality.
Municipalities won by:
■ - PS: 60
■ - AD: 73
■ - APU: 50
■ - PSD: 101
■ - CDS: 20
■ - PPM: 1

City control

The following table lists party control in all district capitals, highlighted in bold, as well as in municipalities above 100,000 inhabitants. Population estimates from the 1970 Census.

Municipality	Population	Previous control		New control
Almada	107,575	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)
Amadora	111,929	Municipality created		width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)
Aveiro	49,808	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Beja	36,384	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)
Braga	96,918	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)
Bragança	33,070	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Cascais	92,907	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Castelo Branco	55,195	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Coimbra	110,553	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Évora	47,244	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)
Faro	30,973	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Funchal	101,810	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Gondomar	105,075	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Guarda	39,741	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)
Guimarães	122,719	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Leiria	80,241	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Lisbon	769,044	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Loures	166,167	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)
Matosinhos	109,225	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)
Oeiras	180,194	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Ponta Delgada	67,975	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Portalegre	25,800	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Porto	301,655	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Santarém	56,440	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)
Setúbal	65,230	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	United People Alliance (APU)
Sintra	124,893	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Viana do Castelo	70,455	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Vila Nova de Gaia	180,875	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Socialist Party (PS)		Democratic Alliance (AD)
Vila Real	44,550	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Viseu	73,010	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	width="1" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)

Municipal Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 16 December 1979 Municipal Assemblies elections resultsTemplate:Election table/category

Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	Mandates
						Total	±
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	1,245,306	27.86	Decrease5.5		2,686	Increase988
	Democratic Alliance	1,056,656	23.64	—		2,122	—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell[A]	916,990	20.51	Increase2.4		1,746	Increase1,067
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	747,911	16.73	Decrease7.8		2,230	Increase572
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	308,721	6.91	Decrease9.5		832	Decrease221
style="width: 10px" bgcolor=Template:Party color align="center" |	People's Democratic Union	55,794	1.25	—		58	—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	10,783	0.24	Increase0.1		0	Steady0
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	5,578	0.12	Increase0.0		26	Increase24
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	596	0.01	—		3	—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	417	0.00	Decrease0.0		0	Steady0
Total valid		4,266,013	97.28	Increase2.1	—	9,703	Increase4,568
Blank ballots		59,564	1.33	Decrease1.2
Invalid ballots		62,241	1.39	Decrease0.9
Total		4,387,818	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		6,105,647	71.86	Increase7.3
A In 1976, as Electoral Front United People.

Parish Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 16 December 1979 Parish Assemblies elections resultsTemplate:Election table/category

Parties		Votes	%	±pp swing	Candidacies	Mandates		Presidents
						Total	±	Total	±
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	1,219,298	27.77	Decrease4.9		10,613	Increase2,268
	Democratic Alliance	1,000,702	22.79	—		9,785	—		—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell[A]	898,670	20.47	Increase5.1		4,732	Increase2,441
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	736,954	16.78	Decrease7.6		9,447	Increase371
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	306,332	6.98	Decrease8.1		4,661	Decrease416
	Independents	49,207	1.12	Decrease2.9		707	Decrease523
style="width: 10px" bgcolor=Template:Party color align="center" |	People's Democratic Union	41,414	0.94	—		55	—		—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	6,010	0.14	Decrease0.2		3	Increase1
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	5,006	0.12	Increase0.1		78	Increase66
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	2,594	0.06	—		26	—		—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	695	0.02	—		1	—		—
REDIRECT Template:Party name with color	600	0.01	—		2	—		—
Total valid		4,141,981	97.19	Increase1.6	—	40,110	—		—
Blank ballots		54,704	1.25	Decrease0.9
Invalid ballots		68,502	1.56	Decrease0.7
Total		4,265,187	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		6,031,266	70.72	Increase5.1
A In 1976, as Electoral Front United People.

Maps

• The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Councils in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)
  The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Councils in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)
• The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Assemblies in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)
  The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Assemblies in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)
• The first and the second most voted parties in Parish Assemblies in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)
  The first and the second most voted parties in Parish Assemblies in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)

Notes

• The source of the voting data is the Portuguese Electoral Commission Template:Webarchive

Further Notes:

• Democratic Alliance (AD) was composed by the Democratic Social Center (CDS), the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM).
• Although the PSD, the CDS and the PPM were united in the Democratic Alliance, they appear in the scorecard because they ran separated in several municipalities.
• United People Alliance (APU) was composed by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP/CDE).
• The number of candidacies expresses the number of municipalities or parishes in which the party or coalition presented lists.
• The number of mandates expresses the number of municipal deputies in the Municipal Assembly election and the number of parish deputies in the Parish Assembly election.
• The turnout varies because one may choose not to vote for all the organs.

See also

• Politics of Portugal
• List of political parties in Portugal
• Elections in Portugal

External links

• Comissão Nacional de Eleições