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1982 Portuguese local elections

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FieldValue
election_name1982 Portuguese local elections
countryPortugal
typeparliamentary
previous_election1979 Portuguese local elections
previous_year1979
next_election1985 Portuguese local elections
next_year1985
seats_for_electionAll 305 Portuguese municipalities and 4,260 Portuguese Parishes
All 1,909 local government councils
election_date12 December 1982
turnout71.1% 0.6 pp
1blankMayors
2blankMayors +/–
3blankCouncillors
4blankCouncillors +/–
image1
colour12A52BE
leader1Francisco Pinto Balsemão
party1PSD
alliance1AD
last_election1195 mayors, 47.5%
popular_vote1**2,117,647**
percentage1**42.7%**
swing14.8 pp
1data1**165**
2data130
3data1**953**
4data1110
image2
leader2Mário Soares
party2Socialist Party (Portugal)
last_election260 mayors, 28.3%
popular_vote21,578,915
percentage231.8%
swing23.5 pp
1data284
2data224
3data2630
4data2114
image3
colour3ff0000
leader3Álvaro Cunhal
party3PCP
alliance3APU
last_election350 mayors, 19.9%
popular_vote31,038,033
percentage320.9%
swing31.0 pp
1data355
2data35
3data3316
4data30

All 1,909 local government councils

Local elections were held in Portugal on 12 December 1982. They were the third local elections in Portugal since the democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power.

The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities that existed at the time, the election for the Municipal Chambers, 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 once more on the top of the results table, increasing its share by 4 points, 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 participate in all Municipalities and Parishes, being the parties which composed it, separated in many Municipalities. This right wing coalition did, however, lose some voting in relation to the previous election.

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 and achieving its best result ever with 20.7 percent and 55 mayors.

Despite the victory of the Democratic Alliance, the then PSD leader and Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão considered the results a disappointment, citing divisions with his own party and the alliance, and resigned from both posts. This decision led to a snap general election in April 1983.

Electoral system

All 305 municipalities are allocated a certain number of councilors to elect corresponding to the number of registered voters in a given municipality. Each party or coalition must present a list of candidates. The winner of the most voted list for the municipal council is automatically elected mayor, similar to first-past-the-post (FPTP). The lists are closed and the seats in each municipality are apportioned according to the D'Hondt method.

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

|- ! rowspan="2" colspan=2 style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|% ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|±pp swing ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Candidacies ! colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Councillors ! colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Mayors |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Total ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|± ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Total ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|± |- | |- |

-

| |- |

-
-

| |- | |- | |- | |- | |- | |- |

-
87,381
-
91,403
-
-
}

Municipality map

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 1981 Census.

MunicipalityPopulationPrevious controlNew control
Almada147,690Unitary Democratic Coalition}}"United People Alliance (APU)
Amadora163,878Unitary Democratic Coalition}}"United People Alliance (APU)
**Aveiro**60,284CDS – People's Party}}"Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Barcelos103,773Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}"Social Democratic Party (PSD)
**Beja**38,246Unitary Democratic Coalition}}"United People Alliance (APU)
**Braga**125,472Socialist Party (Portugal)}}"Socialist Party (PS)
**Bragança**35,380Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}"Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Cascais141,498CDS – People's Party}}"Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
**Castelo Branco**54,908Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Coimbra**138,930Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Évora**51,572Unitary Democratic Coalition}}"United People Alliance (APU)
**Faro**45,109Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Funchal**112,746Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}"Social Democratic Party (PSD)
Gondomar130,751Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Guarda**40,360Socialist Party (Portugal)}}"Socialist Party (PS)
Guimarães146,959Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Leiria**96,517Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}"Social Democratic Party (PSD)
**Lisbon**807,937Democratic Alliance (AD)
Loures276,467Unitary Democratic Coalition}}"United People Alliance (APU)
Matosinhos136,498Socialist Party (Portugal)}}"Socialist Party (PS)
Oeiras149,328Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Ponta Delgada**63,804Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}"Social Democratic Party (PSD)
**Portalegre**27,313Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Porto**327,368Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Santarém**62,896Socialist Party (Portugal)}}"Socialist Party (PS)
Santa Maria da Feira109,531Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}"Social Democratic Party (PSD)
**Setúbal**98,366Unitary Democratic Coalition}}"United People Alliance (APU)
Sintra226,428Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Viana do Castelo**81,009Democratic Alliance (AD)
Vila Nova de Famalicão106,508Democratic Alliance (AD)
Vila Nova de Gaia226,331Democratic Alliance (AD)
**Vila Real**47,020Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}"Social Democratic Party (PSD)
**Viseu**83,261CDS – People's Party}}"Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)

Municipal Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

|- ! rowspan="2" colspan=2 style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|% ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|±pp swing ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Candidacies ! colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Mandates |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Total ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|± |- | |- |

-

| |- |

-
-

| |- | |- | |- | |- | |- | |- |

-
115,352
-
91,128
-
-
}

Parish Assemblies

National summary of votes and seats

|- ! rowspan="2" colspan=2 style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|% ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|±pp swing ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Candidacies ! colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Mandates ! colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Presidents |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Total ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|± ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Total ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|± |- | |- |

-

| |- |

-

|

-
-

| |- | |- | |- | |- | |- |

-
87,935
-
95,380
-
-
}

Maps

File:Pt ploelection tc1982.PNG|The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Councils in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown) File:Pt ploelection tc1982.PNG|The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Assemblies in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown) File:Pt ploelection pa1982.PNG|The first and the second most voted parties in Parish Assemblies in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)

Notes

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.
  • The Democratic Union (UD) was composed only by the Democratic Social Center (CDS) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD)
  • 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.

References

References

  1. Sum of PSD, CDS, PPM, AD and UD votes.
  2. Sum of PSD, AD, CDS and PPM elected mayors.
  3. Sum of PSD, CDS, PPM, AD and UD elected councillors.
  4. Sum of PS and PS/UEDS votes.
  5. Sum of PS and PS/UEDS elected mayors.
  6. Sum of PS and PS/UEDS elected councillors.
  7. [https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/politica/demissao-pinto-balsemao_a853792 "Demissão Pinto Balsemão"], ''RTP-Antena1'', 8 September 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  8. [https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/lei-organica/2001-34526875 Eleição dos titulares dos órgãos das autarquias locais]. ''[[Diário da República]]'' (in Portuguese.) Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  9. "Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Recenseamentos Gerais da População)". [[Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Portugal).
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