This article lists political parties in Portugal. The Portuguese political scene has been dominated by the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party since the 1974 Carnation Revolution although there are several important minor parties (discussed below).
As of 2025, the parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic are those elected by the Democratic Alliance (91 MPs, in which PPD/PSD has 89 seats and CDSâÂÂPP has 2 seats), Chega (60 MPs), the Socialist Party (58 MPs), the Liberal Initiative (9 MPs), LIVRE (6 MPs), the Portuguese Communist Party (3 MPs), the Left Bloc (1 MP), the People-Animals-Nature party (1 MP), and the Together for the People party (1 MP). One other party is represented in the legislature of one of the autonomous regions, the Legislative Assembly of the Azores.
National political parties
Parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic and/or the European Parliament
Parties without representation in the Assembly of the Republic or the European Parliament
General overview
This list presents all the existing parties recognized by the Portuguese Constitutional Court.
- The Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD), despite the name, is not a traditional social democratic party, being much closer to the centre-right. A big tent party, it is the equivalent of any other liberal conservative party in Europe such as the French Republicans or the German CDU. The PSD was founded right after the 1974 Revolution as Partido Popular Democrático (Democratic People's Party) by many personalities of the so-called "liberal wing" of the fascist regime, like Francisco Sá Carneiro (the PSD historical leader), Francisco Pinto Balsemão, and Joaquim Magalhães Mota. Its leader, LuÃÂs Montenegro, is the current Prime Minister of Portugal.
- The Socialist Party (PS), a social democratic party, is a major party in Portugal, resembling the British Labour Party, the German SPD or the Spanish PSOE. The party was founded before the 1974 Revolution by (among others) Mário Soares, its historical leader and one of the main opponents of the dictatorial regime. The current Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres is a former leader and Prime Minister and the current President of Portugal, António José Seguro, is a former leader.
- Chega (CH) is a Portuguese national conservative, right-wing populist party founded by PSD dissident André Ventura, similar to the French National Rally, or the Spanish Vox.
- The Liberal Initiative (IL) is a classical liberal and right-libertarian party, which advocates for capitalism and social liberalism, similar to the German FDP.
- LIVRE (L) is a green political, ecosocialist, and pro-European party.
- The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), founded in 1921 as the Portuguese Section of the Communist International, has its major influence among the working class and played a major role in the opposition to the Estado Novo regime, being brutally repressed in the process. After being one of the most influential parties in the years that followed the Carnation Revolution, it lost most of its power base after the fall of the Eastern Bloc, but still enjoys popularity in some sectors of Portuguese society. It also has a major influence among the biggest Portuguese labour union â General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP). Its historical leader was ÃÂlvaro Cunhal.
- The CDS â People's Party (CDSâÂÂPP) is a traditional Christian Democrat and conservative party, similar to the German CSU or the Spanish PP. Founded after the revolution, its historical leaders were Diogo Freitas do Amaral and Adelino Amaro da Costa. In 1976 it was the only party that voted against approval of a socialist constitution. Later, it was part of several governments in coalition with the PSD. The CDS congregates several right-wing tendencies ranging from christian democrats to neoliberals and more conservative elements.
- The Left Bloc (BE), formed as a result of the merger of three left-wing parties (the Popular Democratic Union, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and Politics XXI), is an mostly urban party, adopting a wide range of left-wing policies and portrays itself as the modern, progressive alternative to the Portuguese Communist Party.
- People-Animals-Nature (PAN) is a party inspired by environmentalism and strongly focused on the rights of animals and animal welfare and which considers itself to be socially progressive, defending LGBT rights and women's rights.
- Together for the People (JPP) was formed as an independent movement for the local elections of 2013 in the municipally of Santa Cruz in Madeira. Transformed into a political party in 2015 in order to contest the regional elections in Madeira.
- The Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PEV) is the first Portuguese green party, traditionally allied with the Communist Party in the Unitary Democratic Coalition.
- The National Democratic Alternative (ADN) was founded by the former leader of the Portuguese Bar Association, António Marinho e Pinto. He ran as the Earth Party candidate for the 2014 European elections but left the party soon after to form PDR (later ADN). A populist party, after Marinho e Pinto left it eventually became COVID-19 denialist and anti-environmentalist, defending a reform of the electoral system and reform of justice system.
- React, Include, Recycle (RIR) is a humanist, pacifist and universalist party ("Rir" in Portuguese means "laughing").
- Volt Portugal (VP), portuguese chapter of Volt Europa, is a pro-European and European federalist political movement. The organisation follows a "pan-European approach" in many policy fields such as climate change, migration, economic inequality, international conflict, terrorism and the impact of the technological revolution on the labour market. It identifies itself as a pan-European, progressive, social-liberal and environmentalist political party.
- The Portuguese Workers' Communist Party (PCTP/MRPP) is a Maoist party. It had a high-profile during the Carnation Revolution, mostly due to its influence among some groups of students, although it never reached 2% of the votes or elected a single MP.
- The New Right (ND) is a party created by Ossanda Liber, a former candidate for mayor of Lisbon and a former member of Alliance that created a right-wing conservative party that is looking to occupy the place of CDSâÂÂPP in national politics after they left parliament following the 2022 legislative elections.
- The Social Liberal Party (PLS) is a liberal party founded by former Liberal Initiative member and 2023 failed leadership candidate, José Cardoso.
- The People's Monarchist Party (PPM) is a small monarchist party with little political expression. It is known that the pretender heir to the Portuguese throne, Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, does not support this party, since the question of monarchical regime is considered to be above partisanship. PPM itself doesn't support Duarte Pio's claim, supporting the claim of the former Duque of Loulé's line instead.
- We, the Citizens! (NC) is a minor centre-right party founded as a result of the anti-austerity movement.
- The Earth Party (MPT) is a centre-right green conservative party, founded in 1993 by a faction of the People's Monarchist Party.
- The Portuguese Labour Party (PTP) is a minor party of the centre-left.
- The Socialist Alternative Movement (MAS) was formed in 2000 as a Portuguese Trotskyist political organization and it is the result of a merger between the Left Revolutionary Front (FER - Frente da Esquerda Revolucionária), and the young activists of the student movement Ruptura. The Ruptura/FER activists integrated the Left Bloc since its formation. In 2011, the movement split from the Left Bloc and formed a new party called Socialist Alternative Movement that was approved by the Constitutional Court in July 2013.
- The (A)TUA A)T is a small party with the goal to defend the rights of retirees and pensioners, aiming to position itself as the political voice of the members of this age group. Originally called United Party of Retirees and Pensioners (PURP), the current name, (A)TUA, was approved in 2024, it was founded as a result of the anti-austerity movement.
Extinct parties since 1974
This list presents the parties and coalitions of the current Third Republic that were once recognized by the Portuguese Constitutional Court but ceased to exist. It is organized by political spectrum and alphabetical order (in Portuguese).
Far-left
Left-wing to far-left
Left-wing
Centre-left
Centre
Centre-right
Right-wing
Far-right
Historical parties
This list includes the defunct political parties that never reached the Third Republic, in chronological order.
Although the Estado Novo was a dictatorship, with the National Union being legally the only party, the opposition was sometimes allowed to compete in (sham) elections; other parties were constituted underground or in exile.
See also
Notes
References
External links