Portuguese presidential election, 1991
Portuguese presidential election, 1991
|
|
|
Turnout |
62,16% |
|
|
|
Candidate |
Mário Soares |
Basílio Horta |
Party |
PS |
CDS |
Popular vote |
3,459,521 |
696,379 |
Percentage |
70.4% |
14.2% |
|
|
The Portuguese presidential election of 1991 was held on 13 January.
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 302 of the then 305 municipalities. His score was the biggest ever in a presidential election in Portugal.
Results
Summary of the 13 January 1991 Portuguese presidential election results
Candidates |
Supporting parties |
First round |
Votes |
% |
|
Mário Soares |
Socialist Party, Social Democratic Party |
3,459,521 |
70.35 |
|
Basílio Horta |
Democratic and Social Centre |
696,379 |
14.16 |
|
Carlos Carvalhas |
Portuguese Communist Party, Ecologist Party "The Greens" |
635,373 |
12.92 |
|
Carlos Manuel Marques |
People's Democratic Union |
126,581 |
2.57 |
Total valid |
4,917,854 |
100.00 |
Blank ballots |
112,877 |
2.21 |
Invalid ballots |
68,037 |
1.33 |
Total (turnout 62.16%) |
5,098,768 |
|
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições |
Vote share 1st Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Mário Soares |
|
70.35% |
Basílio Horta |
|
14.16% |
Carlos Carvalhas |
|
12.92% |
Carlos Manuel Marques |
|
2.57% |
Blank/Invalid |
|
3.54% |
Abstention |
|
37.84% |
References
External links
See also