Portugal
Portugal performs in the high range in Representation and in the mid-range in the remaining three categories (Rights, Rule of Law and Participation) of the Global State of Democracy framework. The country ranks in the top 25 percent of countries globally in a majority of factors of democratic quality. Between 2019 and 2024, it experienced declines in multiple factors of Representation, Rights and Rule of Law. Portugal is home to a high-income economy dominated by services and manufacturing.
Portugal transitioned from the authoritarian Estado Novo regime, which had been in place since the 1930s, to democracy between 1974 and 1976. This transition began with a peaceful military coup known as the Carnation Revolution and culminated in a new Constitution that established the country as a democratic parliamentary republic. The transition also triggered the decolonization of the Portugal’s African colonies. Since then, judicial independence has been strengthened through reforms promoting a citizen-centered system, alongside enhanced checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches.
A driver of current Portuguese politics is the weakening of the traditional two-party system, with new political parties and a more fragmented Parliament. This shift has changed the political landscape after years of stability and reflects voter concerns over the economy, particularly the cost of living, a housing crisis and stagnant wages. At the same time, corruption, including at the highest levels of the government, has undermined public trust, particularly the integrity of the central government and its employees. Despite an extensive anti-corruption framework, and a newly introduced Anti-Corruption Agenda, difficulties remain in implementation, efficiency and accessibility, particularly to improve public access to information.
These tensions have coincided with a rise in populist attitudes and anti-immigration sentiments, which have been amplified by frequent political campaigns driven by recurrent elections. In spite of the approval of a National Plan to combat racism and discrimination, which focuses on the country’s colonial legacy, both issues persist, with police violence having sparked protests. Immigrants from former colonies as well as Roma communities continue to experience disproportionately high rates of housing deprivation relative to the rest of the population and struggle to access essential services.
Portugal performs in the high-range in Gender Equality; however, the lack of a specific law criminalizing femicide and the absence of provisions that classify rape as a public crime remain key societal concerns. Wage inequality also persists, although the gender pay gap is smaller than the EU average. Portugal has seen recent advances in LGBTQIA+ rights, such as the passage of legislation enabling legal gender recognition based on self-determination and prohibiting health service providers from discriminating between blood donors based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch developments impacting Rule of Law, particularly the effectiveness of anti-corruption initiatives. Monitoring both Access to Justice and Predictable Enforcement will also be relevant, particularly in view of issues with drawn-out investigations and court judgments leading to delayed accountability for corruption cases. Rising political polarization adds to the challenges, reflecting deeper social and economic divides. In this regard, persisting socio-economic exclusion and youth unemployment will make Social Group Equality and Economic Equality relevant to watch in coming years.
Last updated: June 2025
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
May 2025
Democratic Alliance (AD) wins snap legislative election
On 18 May, Portugal held a snap legislative election after the minority government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro lost a confidence vote. The Democratic Alliance (AD) won the election with 31.8 per cent of the vote, securing 91 seats in the 230-seat parliament. Chega emerged as the second-largest party, receiving 22.8 per cent of the vote and 60 seats. The Socialist Party (PS) also polled 22.8 per cent of the vote but won 58 seats. Voter turnout reached 58.2 per cent, down from 59.8 per cent in the last election in 2024. A total of 77 of the 230 seats in the new Parliament were won by women (33.5 per cent), down from the previously held 80 seats. Following the election, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa invited Montenegro to form a minority government, which was sworn in on 5 June. This marks the third snap legislative election held in the country in three years.
Sources: EuroEFE, Comissão Nacional de Eleições, Ministry of Interior of Portugal, International IDEA, IPU Parline
October 2024
Police shooting sparks riots
On 23 October, a police officer fatally shot 43-year-old Odair Moniz, originally from Cabo Verde, leading thousands to protest police violence in Lisbon in a demonstration organised by Vida Justa, a rights organisation. In parallel, riots broke out around Lisbon resulting in injuries, torched vehicles, and 16 arrests. The police allege that Moniz fled and resisted arrest on the night of the shooting, and initially claimed that Moniz was armed with a knife. The officer involved has been charged with manslaughter, and both the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration and the police have opened investigations into the incident. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had previously expressed concern over the excessive use of force by Portuguese police, particularly against people of African descent.
Sources: PSP, Euractiv, The Guardian, Reuters, Vida Justa, Publico
June 2024
Government’s Anti-Corruption Agenda provides new momentum to tackle corruption challenges
On 20 June, the Council of Ministers approved a new Anti-Corruption Agenda, a set of 32 measures developed by the Ministry of Justice. The measures focus on corruption prevention, including improving transparency in the relationship between state and private entities and individuals. The Agenda also includes measures to strengthen whistleblower protection in public procurement and proposes the creation of a “blacklist” of state suppliers who are prevented from accessing public contracts. Additionally, there are measures to fight corruption in the public sector, including to strengthen basic and secondary education in topics such as ethics and financial literacy to create a “demanding civil society in the face of corruption.” As a next step, the technical report underpinning the Agenda is open to public comment until 12 August. Portugal has struggled with high-level corruption and the 2023 EU Rule of Law report for Portugal noted that the application of rules on conflicts of interest for high-level parliamentary and government officials raises concerns.
Sources: Ministry of Justice (1), Ministry of Justice (2), Portuguese Government, Euractiv, Publico, International IDEA, European Commission
March 2024
Conservatives narrowly win snap general elections
On 10 March, Portugal held an early general election, after Prime Minister Antonio Costa (Socialist Party) resigned in November over corruption allegations. The 230 seats in Portugal’s unicameral Parliament were contested across 22 constituencies (comprised of 18 metropolitan constituencies, the two autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, and two constituencies for Portuguese citizens living abroad). The conservative Democratic Alliance coalition narrowly won 28.84 per cent of votes (78 seats), while the Socialist Party retained 28 per cent (78 seats). The far-right Chega party came in third with 18.07 per cent of the vote, securing 50 seats. A total of nine parties will be represented in Parliament. Voter turnout was 59.84 per cent. A total of 76 of the 230 seats in the new Parliament were won by women (33 per cent).
Sources: International IDEA, OSCE, Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, NPR, Portugal Resident, Expresso, Parliament
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