1995 Portuguese legislative election

1995 Portuguese legislative election

← 1991 1 October 1995 1999 →
230 seats to the Portuguese Assembly 116 seats needed for a majority
Registered	8,906,608 5.3%
Turnout	5,904,854 (66.3%) 1.5 pp
First party Second party   Leader António Guterres Fernando Nogueira Party PS PSD Leader since 23 February 1992 19 February 1995 Leader's seat Castelo Branco Porto Last election 72 seats, 29.1% 135 seats, 50.6% Seats won 112 88 Seat change 40 47 Popular vote 2,583,755 2,014,589 Percentage 43.8% 34.1% Swing 14.7 pp 16.5 pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Manuel Monteiro Carlos Carvalhas Party CDS–PP PCP Alliance CDU Leader since 22 March 1992 5 December 1992 Leader's seat Braga Lisbon Last election 5 seats, 4.4% 17 seats, 8.8% Seats won 15 15 Seat change 10 2 Popular vote 534,470 506,157 Percentage 9.1% 8.6% Swing 4.7 pp 0.2 pp
Vote winner strength by district Results by constituency
Prime Minister before election Aníbal Cavaco Silva PSD Prime Minister after election António Guterres PS

The 1995 Portuguese legislative election took place on 1 October. The election renewed all 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic.

The incumbent prime minister, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, decided not to run for a fourth consecutive term^[1] and the Social Democratic Party, choose Fernando Nogueira, one of Cavaco Silva's deputies, as leader and candidate for prime minister in a highly contested and bitter party congress in February 1995.^[2] But, the PSD was weakened by the end of the 10-year cycle of governments led by Cavaco Silva, amid scandals and the 1994 25 April bridge riots that shocked the country.^[3] During the campaign, Cavaco Silva toyed with the idea of running for the 1996 Presidential elections, which he ultimately did.^[4]

The PS easily won the elections with 44 percent of the votes, against the 34 percent of the PSD, achieving their first general election victory since 1983 and after a decade in opposition, but missed the absolute majority by 4 MPs. António Guterres, elected as PS leader three years before, became prime minister. The Social Democratic Party suffered a heavy defeat, losing almost 50 seats and 17 percentage points. This election marked the growing bi-polarization of the Portuguese political map. The two minor parties, the People's Party and the Democratic Unity Coalition (CDU) achieved only 15 MPs each, and for the first time ever the CDU failed to win a single district.

Although turnout, in percentage point, was lower than the previous election in 1991, almost 6 million voters cast a ballot on election day, the highest figure since 1980. Voter turnout stood at 66.3 percent, the lowest until then.