The return of the Portuguese Right: The 2001 local government elections and the 2002 legislative election

Article abstract:

This report analyses the 2001 local elections and the 2002 legislative elections in Portugal. The results of the local elections were not an objective disaster for the Socialists. However, due to deteriorating political and economic circumstances, Prime Minister Guterres tendered his resignation. The legislative elections which ensued spelled the end of Socialist Party rule, and the victory, albeit without an absolute majority, of the centre-right party, the PSD. The elections also led to the formation of a coalition government, after 15 years of single-party government. Nevertheless, the alternation in power, as well as the change in government type, did not represent a fundamental shift in voting behaviour, as indicated by national and district party results.
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