List of political parties in Portugal

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Portugal

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Political parties in Portugal lists political parties in Portugal. The Portuguese political scene has been dominated by the Socialist Party and the Partido Social Democrata since the Revolution, although the Popular Party had been present in some post-revolution governments and the Portuguese Communist Party in coalition with The Greens holds the presidency of several municipalities.

The parties currently (as of 2005) represented in the Assembly of the Republic (Parliament) are the Socialist Party (121 MPs), the Social Democratic Party (75 MPs), the Communist Party (12 MPs), the Popular Party (12 MPs), the Left Bloc (8 MPs) and the Green Party (2 MPs).

Contents

[edit] The parties

[edit] Existing parties

This list presents all the existing parties recognized by the Portuguese Constitutional Court.

[edit] Left

  • Bloco de Esquerda - BE - (Left Bloc) - Formed in 1999 by several left-wing parties, it adopts a wide range of left-wing policies, concentrating its efforts on the legalisation of abortion and light drugs. It portrays itself as a modern, progressive alternative to the Communist Party. In the last years the Party lost some of its radical wordiness and proposals, slowly becoming a mainstream party.
Frente da Esquerda Revolucionária - FER - (Revolutionary Left Front) - Trotskyist party formed in the 1980s, it merged with other small left-wing parties and founded the Leftwing Bloc.
Partido Socialista Revolucionário - PSR - (Revolutionary Socialist Party) - Trotskyist party formed in the 1980s, it merged with other small left-wing parties and founded the Leftwing Bloc.
Política XXI - PXXI - (Politics 21) - Socialist party formed after the end of the Portuguese Democratic Movement in the late 1980s, it merged with other small left-wing parties and founded the Leftwing Bloc.
União Democrática Popular - UDP - (People's Democratic Union) - Maoist party founded in 1974, later it merged with other small left-wing parties and founded the Leftwing Bloc.
  • Partido Comunista Português - PCP (Portuguese Communist Party) - The major leftwing party, founded in 1921 as the Portuguese Section of The Communist International (Comintern), has its major influence among the working class and played a major role in the opposition to the Salazar regime, being brutally repressed for the duration of the dictatorial regime. After being one of the most influent parties in the years that followed the Carnation Revolution it lost most of its power base after the fall of the socialist bloc of eastern Europe, but still enjoys popularity in vast sectors of Portuguese society, particularly in the rural areas of Alentejo and Ribatejo and also in the heavily industrialized areas around Lisbon and Setúbal. It also has a major influence among the biggest Portuguese Labour Union - CGTP (General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers). Its historical leader, now deceased, was Álvaro Cunhal.
  • Partido Ecologista "Os Verdes" - PEV (Ecologist Party "The Greens") - Founded in 1982 and traditionally allied in with the Communist Party in the Unitarian Democratic Coalition, although they have a little expression in the political life, they have some important specific knowledge and intervention about environmental issues.

[edit] Center-Left

  • Movimento pelo Doente - MD (Movement for the Sick) - An agenda party, founded in order to promote the interests of the users of the health service.
  • Partido Democrático do Atlântico - PDA (Democratic Party of the Atlantic) - Former extreme right party which has, in the last thirty years, been shifting to the moderate left. Its influence is limited to the Azores. It defends the ultramarine status of the Azores and Madeira. It seldom gets more than 1% of the votes, even in the Azores.

[edit] Center-Right

  • Partido Social Democrata - PSD (Social Democratic Party) - The name might be somewhat misleading, as the PSD is not a traditional Social Democratic Party, being much closer to the right-wing. It is the Portuguese equivalent of any other centre-right party in Europe such as the UK Conservatives, the Spanish PP, or the German CDU. PSD was founded right after 1974 Revolution as Partido Popular Democrático (People's Democratic Party) by many personalities of the so-called "liberal wing" of the fascist regime, like Francisco Sá Carneiro, Francisco Pinto Balsemão and Magalhães Mota.

[edit] Right

  • Centro Democrático Social/Partido Popular - CDS/PP (Democratic Social Center/People's Party) - A traditional Christian Democrat party, very similar to the German CSU. Also founded after the revolution it is to the right of the PSD, and advocates stringent social and religious conservatism. In 1976 it was the only Party that voted against approval of the Constitution. Recently, it has leaned more towards to the centre-right for practical reasons.
  • Partido da Terra - MPT (Earth Party) - A right wing green party, founded by a faction of the People's Monarchist Party.
  • Partido Nacional Renovador - PNR (National Renewal Party) - Nationalist party, very close to the French Front National and with many members sympathetic to fascism. Although fascist parties are forbidden under the Portuguese Constitution, the PNR, as legal successor to the National Renovator Party, is legal after their leaders joined the moribund PRD, changed internal regulations and positioning itself as neo-nationalist.
  • Partido Popular Monárquico - PPM (People's Monarchist Party) - Small monarchist party with little political expression. It is known that the pretender heir to the Portuguese throne, Dom Duarte Pio, does not support this party.


Portuguese political parties
BE PCP PCTP PEV POUS PH MD PS PDA PSD CDS-PP MPT PND PNR PPM

[edit] Extinct parties

This list presents all the parties that were once recognized by the Portuguese Constitutional Court but ceased to exist.

[edit] Left

[edit] Center-Left

[edit] Center-Right

  • Portuguese Party of the Regions - PPR (Partido Português das Regiões)

[edit] Right

  • Independent Movement for National Reconstruction - MIRN (Movimento Independente para a Reconstrução Nacional)
  • National Syndicalists - MNS (Movimento Nacional-Sindicalista)
  • Party of the Christian Democracy - PDC (Partido da Democracia Cristã)

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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