Democratic Alliance (Portugal, 2024) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids AD – Democratic Alliance AD – Aliança Democrática
Abbreviation	PPD/PSD.CDS–PP.PPM AD
Leader	Luís Montenegro
Founder	Luís Montenegro Nuno Melo Gonçalo da Câmara Pereira
Founded	7 January 2024
Ideology	Liberal conservatism Christian democracy Conservatism
Political position	Centre-right to right-wing
National affiliation	PSD CDS-PP PPM
European affiliation	European People's Party European Christian Political Movement
Colours	Blue      Orange
Election symbol
Party flag

The AD – Democratic Alliance (known in Portuguese as AD – Aliança Democrática, or simply AD) is a group of political parties in Portugal. This alliance is made up of parties that are generally considered to be in the centre-right or right-wing of politics.

The main parties in the alliance are the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP), and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM). The Democratic Alliance is actually a new version of a similar group that ran in elections between 1979 and 1983.

What is the Democratic Alliance?

A political alliance is when different political parties decide to work together. They often do this to have a better chance of winning elections. They might share similar ideas or goals for the country.

The Democratic Alliance is a team of parties. They have joined forces to try and win more votes and seats in the Portuguese Parliament.

Earlier Attempts to Form the Alliance

Over the years, there have been other attempts to create a similar alliance. For example, in 1998, two of the main parties, the PSD and CDS–PP, tried to form a new Democratic Alliance. They even ran together in the 2004 European elections under a different name, Força Portugal.

Later, in 2014, the PSD and CDS–PP again decided to work together for the European elections. They called their joint list the Portugal Alliance. In 2015, they also ran together in the national election as "Portugal Ahead".

The Democratic Alliance name was even used in the Azores, a group of islands that are part of Portugal, for the 2022 elections there.

The 2024 Democratic Alliance

The current Democratic Alliance was officially formed in January 2024. This happened after the 2022 national election, where the CDS–PP party lost all its seats in Parliament for the first time ever.

In December 2023, the leaders of the PSD, Luís Montenegro, and the CDS–PP, Nuno Melo, announced they would form a new alliance. This alliance would include their two parties and some independent politicians. They decided to call it the Democratic Alliance.

At first, the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) was not sure about joining. But they later changed their minds and became part of the group. The official agreement was signed on January 7, 2024.

Why the Alliance Was Formed

One of the main reasons for forming this alliance was to help the CDS–PP party get back into Parliament. By joining with the larger PSD, the CDS–PP was given a good chance to win seats in the 2024 election. The PPM also had a chance to win a seat.

The alliance also ran in the 2024 Azorean regional election. They won this election with 42% of the votes. This was a big win, as it was the first time in 32 years that a PSD-led group won first place in an Azorean regional election.

The Democratic Alliance also won the national election in March 2024, though by a small amount. They received 29% of the votes and won 80 seats in Parliament. Because of this win, the PSD leader, Luís Montenegro, became the Prime Minister on April 2, 2024. He leads a "minority government," which means his alliance has the most seats but not enough to control Parliament completely without help from other parties.

In the June 2024 European Parliament election, the Democratic Alliance got more votes, reaching 31%. However, they were just beaten by the Socialist Party (PS), which got 32% of the votes.

Members of the Democratic Alliance

The Democratic Alliance is made up of these political parties:

• Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD)
• CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP)
• People's Monarchist Party (PPM)

Leaders

• Luís Montenegro : 2024–present

Election Results

These tables show how the Democratic Alliance has performed in recent elections. They show the number of votes, the percentage of votes, and how many seats the alliance won.

Assembly of the Republic (National Parliament)

European Parliament

Regional Assemblies

Azores

See also

• Democratic Alliance (Portugal); the original alliance with the same name from 1979–1983.

Images for kids

• 

  The symbol of the 2024 Democratic Alliance.

• 

  The flag of the 2024 Democratic Alliance.