The previous elections:
Portuguese elections 1975Portuguese elections 1976Portuguese elections 1979Portuguese elections 1980Portuguese elections 1983Portuguese elections 1985The 1987 general election, scheduled for July 19, was the 3rd in 5 years and was also a snap election after the fall of the PSD minority government in Parliament.
Parties:
PPD/PSD - Social Democratic Party, center-right, leader Aníbal Cavaco Silva
PS - Socialist Party center-left, leader Vitor Constâncio
PRD - Democratic Renewal Party, centrist, leader António Ramalho Eanes
CDU - Unitary Democratic Coalition (PCP, PEV), left-wing, leader Álvaro Cunhal
CDS - Democratic Social Center, center-right, leader Adriano Moreira
UDP - People's Democratic Union, radical left, leader, Acácio Barreiros
PDC - Christian Democratic Party, far-right
PSR - Revolutionary Socialist Party, far-left
PCTP/MRPP - Portuguese Workers' Communist Party, far-left/Maoism, leader Arnaldo Matos
POUS - Workers Party of Socialist Unity, far-left
PC(R) - Communist Party (Reconstructed), far-left
PPM - People's Monarchist Party, center-right to rightwing, leader Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles
MDP - Portuguese Democratic Movement, left-wing, leader José Manuel Tengarrinha
Background:
The 1985 elections resulted in the most fractured Parliament in democracy. PSD was the largest party, with 88 seats, but way far from the 126 needed for a majority. The PS collapsed while PRD nearly tied with the PS, being just 3% behind the Socialists. President António Ramalho Eanes nominated PSD leader, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, as PM and led a minority government with the support of CDS and, the frail, support of PRD. Cavaco Silva's government became very popular very rapidly. The PSD minority initiated, again, the process of liberalization of the economy, cutted taxes, encouraged wage increases and was receiving the first batch of EU funds to modernize Portugal. The government wanted reforms on the Constitution, and started developing a big plan of infrastructures to modernize the country.
But, the government wasn't that popular in Parliament. PSD could rely on the loyal support of CDS, but PRD was always putting the government on the line. They voted alongside PSD+CDS in the 1986 and 1987 budgets, but, by March 1987, PRD had changed its mind. PRD wanted to form an alternative coalition with PS and CDU. By April, a minor diplomatic accident was the trigger to bring down Cavaco Silva. A Portuguese delegation of MPs acepted, with the government's approval, to go visit Estonia, one of the USRR republics, but the problem is that Portugal never accepted the USRR annexation of the Baltic states, and therefore, Cavaco Silva decision was a "confrontation" with Parliament. The PRD decided then to present a motion of no confidence against Cavaco and the PSD. Mário Soares, the new President of the Republic (PR), was against the motion of no confidence and asked the then PS leader, Vitor Constâncio to not support it. Constâncio agreed with Soares and the PR went to a state visit to Brazil more relaxed. But, Constâncio forgot what he said to Soares and accepted a coalition between PS-PRD-CDU to bring down Cavaco. On April 3rd, PS, PRD and CDU voted to bring down the the PSD minority.
Mário Soares returned furious from Brazil, and when party leaders were summon to Belém Palace to discuss the political crisis, Soares refused to support the PS and called a snap general election for July 19th. During the campaign, PSD drew massive crowds to their rallies and campaigned on the motto that Portugal cannot stop. PS also drew some big crowds to their rallies and asked for a victory to form an alternative to the PSD. PRD, with Ramalho Eanes as their leader, campaigned as the moderating force in Portugal, while CDS was fearfull of the PSD increase popularity. CDU campaigned also in support of a PS-CDU alternative to the PSD. The stage was set for the 1987 elections.
Poll
