1991 Portuguese presidential election
13 January 1991
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| Turnout | 62.16% ( 13.23pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 13 January 1991.
The re-election of the hugely popular Mário Soares was never in doubt, specially after the then-ruling PSD, led by Prime Minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva announced its support. Therefore, the election held on 13 January 1991 was a landslide, and no second round was needed.
As the election of a left-wing candidate was assured, other left-wing parties, the Portuguese Communist Party and the People's Democratic Union, presented their own candidates. The communists presented Carlos Carvalhas, who had been Assistant General Secretary of the Party a year before (Álvaro Cunhal was the secretary-general). Carvalhas would later be elected secretary-general, in 1992.
On the right, as the Social Democratic Party supported Soares, the Democratic and Social Centre presented the only right-wing candidate, Basílio Horta.
Mário Soares achieved the majority of the votes in every district of the country, and 295 of the then 305 municipalities. His score was the biggest ever in a presidential election in Portugal. Soares was sworn in for a second term as President on 9 March 1991.[1]
Electoral system
Any Portuguese citizen over 35 years old has the opportunity to run for president. In order to do so it is necessary to gather between 7,500 and 15,000 signatures and submit them to the Portuguese Constitutional Court.
According to the Portuguese Constitution, to be elected, a candidate needs a majority of votes. If no candidate gets this majority there will take place a second round between the two most voted candidates.
Candidates
Official candidates
| Candidate | Party support | Political office(s) | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mário Soares (66) | President of the Republic (1986–1996) Prime Minister (1976–1978; 1983–1985) Secretary-general of the Socialist Party (1973–1985) Minister without portfolio (1975) Minister of Foreign Affairs (1974–1975) Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1975–1986) |
Incumbent President, after winning the 1986 presidential election in the second round with 51.2% of the votes; eligible for a second term. | ||
| Basílio Horta (47) | Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1976–1991) Minister of Agriculture (1981–1983) Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister (1981) Minister of Commerce and Tourism (1978; 1980–1981) |
Democratic and Social Center (CDS) member; CDS Secretary-general. | ||
| Carlos Carvalhas (49) | Deputy Secretary-general of the Portuguese Communist Party (1990–1992) Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1976–1980; 1983–2005) Member of the European Parliament (1989–1990) Secretary of State for Labour (1974–1975) |
Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) member; syndicalist. | ||
| Carlos Manuel Marques (42) | None | Popular Democratic Union (UDP) founding member; engineer. | ||
Decided not to run
- Adriano Moreira – former President of the Democratic and Social Centre (1986–1988);[2]
- Alberto João Jardim – incumbent President of the Regional Government of Madeira (1976–2015);[3]
- António Ramalho Eanes – former President of the Republic (1976–1986); former President of the Democratic Renewal Party (1986–1988);[3]
- Diogo Freitas do Amaral – incumbent President of the Democratic and Social Centre (1988–1992; 1974–1983); candidate in the previous presidential election;[3]
- Francisco Lucas Pires – former President of the Democratic and Social Centre (1983–1986);[4]
- Hermínio Martinho – former President of the Democratic Renewal Party (1985–1986; 1988–1990);[3]
- Nuno Krus Abecasis – former Mayor of Lisbon (1979–1989).[3]
Campaign period
Party slogans
| Candidate | Original slogan | English translation | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mário Soares | « Soares é fixe » | "Soares is cool" | [5] | |
| Basílio Horta | « Um Homem às direitas » | "An upright man" | [5] | |
| Carlos Carvalhas | « Portugal pode ser melhor » | "Portugal can be better" | [6] | |
| Carlos Manuel Marques | « A coragem de ser solidário » | "The courage to be supportive" | [7] | |
Candidates' debates
| 1991 Portuguese presidential election debates | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Organisers | Moderator(s) | P Present A Absent invitee N Non-invitee | |||||||||||||||||
| Soares | Horta | Carvalhas | Marques | Refs | ||||||||||||||||
| 21 Nov 1990 | RTP1 | Vicente Jorge Silva Maria Elisa Domingues |
P | A | P | P | [8] | |||||||||||||
| 4 Dec 1990 | RTP1 | - | N | N | P | P | [9] | |||||||||||||
| 6 Dec 1990 | RTP1 | Mário Crespo | P | P | N | N | [10] | |||||||||||||
| 11 Dec 1990 | RTP1 | - | P | N | P | N | [9] | |||||||||||||
| 13 Dec 1990 | RTP1 | - | N | P | N | P | [9] | |||||||||||||
| 19 Dec 1990 | RTP1 | - | P | N | N | P | [9] | |||||||||||||
| 20 Dec 1990 | RTP1 | - | N | P | P | N | [9] | |||||||||||||
| 21 Dec 1990 | RTP2 | Joaquim Furtado | P | P | P | P | [11] | |||||||||||||
Opinion polls
Exit poll
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
Carlos Marques
|
Oth/ Und |
Lead | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS | CDS | PCP | UDP | |||||
| Election results | 13 Jan 1991 | N/a | 70.4 | 14.2 | 12.9 | 2.6 | N/a | 56.2 |
| Euroexpansão | 13 Jan 1991 | N/a | 69.5–73.4 | 14.1–17.2 | 9.3–12.6 | 1.6–2.9 | N/a | 55.8 |
| Euroexpansão | 5–6 Jan 1991 | 634 | 60.0 | 12.4 | 9.0 | 2.2 | 16.4 | 47.6 |
Results
National summary
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mário Soares | Socialist Party[a] | 3,459,521 | 70.35 | |
| Basílio Horta | Democratic Social Center[b] | 696,379 | 14.16 | |
| Carlos Carvalhas | Portuguese Communist Party[c] | 635,373 | 12.92 | |
| Carlos Manuel Marques | Popular Democratic Union | 126,581 | 2.57 | |
| Total | 4,917,854 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 4,917,854 | 96.45 | ||
| Invalid votes | 68,037 | 1.33 | ||
| Blank votes | 112,877 | 2.21 | ||
| Total votes | 5,098,768 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 8,202,212 | 62.16 | ||
| Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições | ||||
Results by district
| District | Soares | Horta | Carvalhas | Marques | Turnout | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| Aveiro | 250,336 | 77.27% | 49,675 | 15.33% | 17,894 | 5.52% | 6,065 | 1.87% | 64.36% | |
| Azores | 75,530 | 80.66% | 12,192 | 13.02% | 3,652 | 3.49% | 6,685 | 6.39% | 51.79% | |
| Beja | 48,694 | 54.06% | 5,293 | 5.88% | 33,796 | 37.52% | 2,294 | 2.55% | 60.34% | |
| Braga | 287,287 | 77.49% | 50,991 | 13.75% | 26,230 | 7.08% | 6,210 | 1.68% | 66.41% | |
| Bragança | 51,571 | 67.48% | 19,373 | 25.35% | 3,869 | 5.06% | 1,615 | 2.11% | 53.18% | |
| Castelo Branco | 82,470 | 71.63% | 18,627 | 16.18% | 10,593 | 9.20% | 3,443 | 2.99% | 60.29% | |
| Coimbra | 166,041 | 76.86% | 26,416 | 12.23% | 19,084 | 8.83% | 4,498 | 2.08% | 61.08% | |
| Évora | 50,805 | 53.99% | 7,710 | 8.19% | 33,313 | 35.40% | 2,281 | 2.42% | 64.94% | |
| Faro | 123,550 | 72.40% | 21,332 | 12.50% | 20,481 | 12.00% | 5,280 | 3.09% | 60.92% | |
| Guarda | 69,632 | 71.33% | 19,874 | 20.36% | 5,815 | 5.96% | 2,293 | 2.35% | 58.23% | |
| Leiria | 150,993 | 72.41% | 38,014 | 18.23% | 14,969 | 7.18% | 4,535 | 2.17% | 60.93% | |
| Lisbon | 675,760 | 64.89% | 156,424 | 15.02% | 177,275 | 17.02% | 31,860 | 3.06% | 61.73% | |
| Madeira | 70,632 | 67.22% | 23,981 | 22.91% | 3,652 | 3.49% | 6,685 | 6.39% | 57.98% | |
| Portalegre | 48,170 | 64.25% | 7,693 | 10.26% | 17,271 | 23.03% | 1,844 | 2.46% | 66.26% | |
| Porto | 627,195 | 76.50% | 101,665 | 12.40% | 75,517 | 9.21% | 15,536 | 1.89% | 65.39% | |
| Santarém | 161,301 | 68.96% | 30,938 | 13.23% | 34,996 | 14.96% | 6,662 | 2.85% | 63.33% | |
| Setúbal | 198,977 | 55.83% | 29,955 | 8.40% | 113,232 | 31.77% | 14,248 | 4.00% | 62.93% | |
| Viana do Castelo | 92,312 | 75.26% | 18,397 | 15.00% | 9,263 | 7.55% | 2,693 | 2.20% | 59.35% | |
| Vila Real | 84,358 | 75.05% | 20,139 | 17.92% | 5,738 | 5.10% | 2,174 | 1.93% | 54.63% | |
| Viseu | 145,010 | 75.41% | 33,945 | 17.65% | 9,869 | 5.13% | 3,480 | 1.81% | 57.96% | |
| Source: SGMAI Presidential Election Results | ||||||||||
Maps
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Strongest candidate by electoral district.
-
Strongest candidate by municipality.
Notes
- ^ Also supported tacitly by the Social Democratic Party.
- ^ Also supported by the People's Monarchist Party.
- ^ Also supported by the Ecologist Party "The Greens".
References
- ^ "Dia da tomada de posse de Mário Soares". RTP Arquivos (in European Portuguese). 1991-03-09. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ "Candidatos para as Presidenciais de 1991". RTP Arquivos (in European Portuguese). 1990-09-22. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ a b c d e "Candidatos às Presidenciais 1991". RTP Arquivos (in European Portuguese). 1990-09-10. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "Lucas Pires anuncia desistência da candidatura à Presidência". RTP (in Portuguese). 7 September 1990. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Os cartazes das eleições presidenciais desde 1976". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Os cartazes das eleições presidenciais desde 1976". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "Candidatura de Carlos Marques à Presidência da República". RTP (in Portuguese). 6 May 1990. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Debate entre os candidatos à Presidência da República". RTP (in Portuguese). 21 November 1990. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Página Principal".
- ^ "Os debates".
- ^ "Página Principal".
- "CNE Resultados". Comissão Nacional de Eleições. Archived from the original on 8 April 2005. Retrieved 17 May 2005.
- "Centro de Estudos do Pensamento Político". Archived from the original on 2006-08-18. Retrieved 17 May 2005.
External links
- Portuguese Electoral Commission
- NSD: European Election Database - Portugal Archived 2014-12-20 at the Wayback Machine publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990–2010