Socialist Party (Portugal) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Socialist Party
Partido Socialista
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| Abbreviation | PS |
| President | Carlos César |
| Secretary-General | Pedro Nuno Santos |
| Founder | Mário Soares |
| Founded | 19 April 1973 |
| Legalized | 1 February 1975 |
| Preceded by | Acção Socialista Portuguesa |
| Headquarters | Largo do Rato 2, 1269–143 Lisbon |
| Newspaper | Acção Socialista |
| Student wing | Estudantes Socialistas |
| Youth wing | Socialist Youth |
| Women's wing | National Department of the Socialist Women |
| Membership (2022) |  81,171 |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| National affiliation | FRS (1980–1982) |
| European affiliation | Party of European Socialists |
| International affiliation |
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| European Parliament group | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats |
| Trade union affiliation | General Union of Workers |
| Colours | |
| Anthem | A Internacional (The Internationale) |
| Assembly of the Republic |
78 / 230
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| European Parliament |
8 / 21
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| Regional Parliaments |
34 / 104
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| Local government (Mayors) |
148 / 308
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| Local government (Parishes) |
1,264 / 3,066
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| Election symbol | |
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| Party flag | |
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The Socialist Party (Portuguese: Partido Socialista, often called PS) is a major political party in Portugal. It was started on April 19, 1973, in Bad Münstereifel, Germany. The party was founded by people who were part of the Portuguese Socialist Action group.
The PS is a member of several international groups, like the Socialist International and the Party of European Socialists. It also has members in the European Parliament. The party was in charge of Portugal's government from November 2015 to April 2024. They won elections in 2019 and 2022.
The Socialist Party is considered a centre-left party. It is one of the two biggest political parties in Portugal. Its main rival is the Social Democratic Party (PSD), which is a centre-right party. The current leader of the PS is Pedro Nuno Santos.
Contents
How the Socialist Party Started
Portuguese Socialist Action (1964–1973)
The Portuguese Socialist Action (ASP) was formed in November 1964 in Geneva, Switzerland. It was started by Mário Soares, Manuel Tito de Morais, and Francisco Ramos da Costa.
The ASP was created by Socialists who were living outside Portugal. This was because political groups were not allowed under Salazar's strict government, called the Estado Novo. In 1964, Mário Soares became the leader of the ASP.
The Socialist Party (PS) was officially created on April 19, 1973. This happened at a meeting of the Portuguese Socialist Action in Bad Münstereifel, West Germany.
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For creating a party | 20 | 74.1 | |
| Against creating a party | 7 | 25.9 | |
| Total Votes | 27 | ||
| Source: | |||
The 27 people at the meeting decided to create a party that believed in socialism and political freedom. They wanted a society where everyone was equal.
Socialist Party (1973–present)
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On April 25, 1974, the Carnation Revolution ended the old government in Portugal. This brought back democracy. Mário Soares, the party's leader, came back to Portugal from France. He became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After the revolution, elections were held. The PS won the elections in 1975 and 1976. However, they lost to another group, the Democratic Alliance, in 1979. In 1980, the PS tried to form an alliance with other groups, but they still could not win.
In 1983, the PS won the general election. They did not win a full majority, so they teamed up with the Social Democratic Party (PSD). This team was called the Central Bloc. This new government started talks for Portugal to join the European Economic Community (EEC), which is now the European Union.
In 1985, the Central Bloc broke apart. The PS lost the election that year. The PSD won the next three elections in 1985, 1987, and 1991. The PS was not in power for over ten years.
In 1995, the PS, led by António Guterres, won a general election for the first time in 12 years. In 1999, they almost won a full majority, missing it by just one seat. In 2001, Guterres stepped down after the party lost local elections. New elections were called for 2002. The Socialist Party lost the 2002 election by a small amount to the PSD.
In 2004, the PS won the European elections by a lot. A few weeks later, the prime minister, Durão Barroso, resigned. He became the President of the European Commission. In December 2004, new elections were called for February 2005. The PS won these elections by a landslide, getting a full majority for the first time ever. José Sócrates, the leader of the PS, became the Prime Minister of Portugal.
In 2009, the PS lost the European Parliament elections. However, they won the general election in September 2009. They did not win a full majority this time. The PS later made same-sex marriage legal.
Portugal faced a big financial crisis around 2011. This led Sócrates' government to make tough economic changes. On March 23, 2011, other parties in Parliament did not agree with the government's new plans. Because of this, Sócrates resigned as prime minister. A new election was held on June 5, 2011. The PS lost badly in these elections, getting only 28.1% of the votes. Sócrates resigned as leader after this result. António José Seguro was chosen as the new leader.
Under Seguro's leadership, the PS won the local elections in 2013. They also won the European elections in May 2014. However, many PS members were not happy with the results. On May 27, António Costa, who was the mayor of Lisbon, said he would run for party leader. Costa easily won the election against Seguro.
In the 2015 elections, the PS came in second place. They got 32% of the votes, while the PSD/CDS-PP alliance got 38.6%. Even though the PSD/CDS-PP won, the centre-left and left-wing parties together had more seats in Parliament. The PS then formed a deal with other left-wing parties. This allowed the PS to form a government, even though they came in second. For the first time in Portugal's democracy, the leader of the second-place party became prime minister.
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António Costa had a successful first term as prime minister. The economy grew, unemployment was low, and the government reduced its debt. In the 2019 European elections, the PS won a big victory with 33.4% of the votes. The PS also won the October 2019 general election with 36% of the votes.
In October 2020, the PS lost power in the Azores region. They lost their majority in the regional elections. The right-wing parties then formed a government there.
For the 2021 presidential election, Costa supported the current president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Some party members were not happy about this. Former PS member Ana Gomes ran for president, saying she was the candidate for democratic socialism. She finished second.
The party faced a setback in the 2021 local elections. They lost several cities, including Lisbon, to the PSD. After these elections, the PS and its left-wing allies disagreed. This led to the government's budget for 2022 being rejected. This forced a new election in January 2022. Even though polls predicted a close race, the Socialists won a surprise full majority. This was only the second time in their history. They won 41% of the votes and 120 out of 230 seats in Parliament.
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In November 2023, António Costa resigned as Prime Minister and party leader. This happened because of concerns about certain activities related to government contracts. After Costa's decision, an early election was called for March 10, 2024. A new leadership election was held in December 2023. Pedro Nuno Santos won with almost 61% of the votes.
In the March 10, 2024 election, the Socialist Party was narrowly defeated by the Democratic Alliance (AD). They lost 42 seats and got 28% of the votes.
What the Socialist Party Believes In
The PS is a mainstream social democratic party. This means it believes in a fair society where the government helps people. It has different groups within it, from those who want more government involvement to those who prefer more individual freedom.
The party supports Keynesian economics, which means the government should spend money to help the economy grow. It also supports Europeanism, meaning it believes in working closely with other European countries. The PS also supports progressivism, which means it wants to make society more fair and equal.
Election Results
Assembly of the Republic
Seats won in Portuguese elections
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Mário Soares | 2,162,972 | 37.9 (#1) |
116 / 250
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Constituent assembly | |
| 1976 | 1,912,921 | 34.9 (#1) |
107 / 263
|
 9 |
Minority | |
| Coalition | ||||||
| Opposition | ||||||
| 1979 | 1,642,136 | 27.3 (#2) |
74 / 250
|
33 |
Opposition | |
| 1980 | Republican and Socialist Front |
66 / 250
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8 |
Opposition | ||
| 1983 | 2,061,309 | 36.1 (#1) |
94 / 250
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28 |
Coalition | |
| 1985 | António de Almeida Santos | 1,204,321 | 20.8 (#2) |
57 / 250
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37 |
Opposition |
| 1987 | Vítor Constâncio | 1,262,506 | 22.2 (#2) |
60 / 250
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3 |
Opposition |
| 1991 | Jorge Sampaio | 1,670,758 | 29.1 (#2) |
72 / 230
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12 |
Opposition |
| 1995 | António Guterres | 2,583,755 | 43.8 (#1) |
112 / 230
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40 |
Minority |
| 1999 | 2,385,922 | 44.1 (#1) |
115 / 230
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3 |
Minority | |
| 2002 | Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues | 2,068,584 | 37.8 (#2) |
96 / 230
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19 |
Opposition |
| 2005 | José Sócrates | 2,588,312 | 45.0 (#1) |
121 / 230
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25 |
Majority |
| 2009 | 2,077,238 | 36.6 (#1) |
97 / 230
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24 |
Minority | |
| 2011 | 1,566,347 | 28.1 (#2) |
74 / 230
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23 |
Opposition | |
| 2015 | António Costa | 1,747,685 | 32.3 (#2) |
86 / 230
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12 |
Opposition |
| Minority | ||||||
| 2019 | 1,903,687 | 36.3 (#1) |
108 / 230
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22 |
Minority | |
| 2022 | 2,302,601 | 41.4 (#1) |
120 / 230
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12 |
Majority | |
| 2024 | Pedro Nuno Santos | 1,812,443 | 28.0 (#2) |
78 / 230
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42 |
Opposition |
European Parliament
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo | 1,267,672 | 22.5 (#2) |
6 / 24
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| 1989 | João Cravinho | 1,184,380 | 28.5 (#2) |
7 / 24
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1 |
| 1994 | António Vitorino | 1,061,560 | 34.9 (#1) |
10 / 25
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3 |
| 1999 | Mário Soares | 1,493,146 | 43.1 (#1) |
12 / 25
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2 |
| 2004 | António Costa | 1,516,001 | 44.5 (#1) |
12 / 24
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 0 |
| 2009 | Vital Moreira | 946,818 | 26.5 (#2) |
7 / 22
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5 |
| 2014 | Francisco Assis | 1,033,158 | 31.5 (#1) |
8 / 21
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1 |
| 2019 | Pedro Marques | 1,104,694 | 33.4 (#1) |
9 / 21
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1 |
| 2024 | Marta Temido | 1,268,915 | 32.1 (#1) |
8 / 21
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1 |
Regional Assemblies
| Region | Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
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| Azores | 2024 | Vasco Cordeiro | 41,538 | 35.9 (#2) |
23 / 57
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2 |
Opposition |
| Madeira | 2024 | Paulo Cafôfo | 28,981 | 21.3 (#2) |
11 / 47
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0 |
Opposition |
Key Party Leaders
Secretaries-General
- Mário Soares: 1973 – 1986
- Vítor Constâncio: 1986 – 1989
- Jorge Sampaio: 1989 – 1992
- António Guterres: 1992 – 2002
- Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues: 2002 – 2004
- José Sócrates: 2004 – 2011
- António José Seguro: 2011 – 2014
- António Costa: 2014 – 2024
- Pedro Nuno Santos: 2024 – present
Timeline of Leaders
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Mário Soares, founder of the party and a former Prime Minister and President of Portugal.
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António Guterres, Prime Minister from 1995 to 2002 and now the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
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José Sócrates, the party's leader (2004–2011) and Prime Minister (2005–2011).
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António Costa, the party's leader (2014–2024) and Prime Minister (2015–2024).
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Party Presidents
- António Macedo: 1973 – 1986
- Manuel Tito de Morais: 1986 – 1989
- João Ferraz de Abreu: 1989 – 1992
- António de Almeida Santos: 1992 – 2011
- Maria de Belém Roseira: 2011 – 2014
- Carlos César: 2014 – present
Prime Ministers from the PS
- Mário Soares: 1976–1978; 1983–1985
- António Guterres: 1995–2002
- José Sócrates: 2005–2011
- António Costa: 2015–2024
Presidents of Portugal from the PS
- Mário Soares: 1986–1996
- Jorge Sampaio: 1996–2006
See also
- Politics of Portugal
- Socialist Party
