# Coalition PSD/CDS

The PSD/CDS coalition (Portuguese: Coligação PSD/CDS, PPD/PSD.CDS-PP) is a recurring conservative political and electoral alliance in Portugal formed by the Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD) and CDS – People's Party (CDS-PP).
Though the history of coalition between the two parties stretches back over 40 years, the parties have not run together in most elections and, when they did so, they always retained their own autonomous parliamentary groups afterwards.

## History

PSD and CDS were founded after the 1974 Revolution that overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship.
Both parties have had a close affinity for the most part of their existence. Previous to any electoral alliance, they both endorsed the same presidential candidate in the first democratic presidential election of 1976, Ramalho Eanes, who also had the backing of the Socialist Party.
The first time the two parties were together in a coalition was in the general and local elections of 1979, under the Democratic Alliance banner, albeit along with the People's Monarchist Party and the Reformers [pt], a small group of Socialist Party dissidents. This first continuous coalition lasted until 1983 and run a total of two general elections (1979 and 1980) and two local elections (1979 and 1982). Both parties endorsed again a single candidate in the 1980 and 1986 presidential elections.
In Portugal, presidential elections aren't formally partisan, although all major parties usually endorse a candidate from their ranks. In the 1991 presidential elections, PSD backed former Socialist Prime Minister Mário Soares, while CDS endorsed its own former minister Basílio Horta. Since 1996, both parties have always endorsed the same candidate (former PSD Prime Minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva in 1996, 2006 and 2011, and former PSD ministers Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral in 2001 and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in 2016 and 2021). The candidates supported by PSD and CDS have won since 2006.
The coalition with just the two parties appeared formally for the first time in the 1997 local elections and, at the local level, it has been expanded to more municipalities in each following election till today (2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021), holding, as of 2021, 31 mayors out of 308 municipalities in the country.
The coalition was on the ballot in the 2004 Azores regional election, as Coalition Azores (Portuguese: Coligação Açores, CA), but failed to win that election. The coalition was also on the ballot in the 2023 Madeira regional election, as We are Madeira (Portuguese: Somos Madeira, SM). The coalition has been on the ballot in two European Parliament elections, 2004 as Forward Portugal (Portuguese: Força Portugal, FP), and 2014 as Portugal Alliance (Portuguese: Aliança Portugal, AP).
On elections for the Assembly of the Republic, the two-party coalition was only tried once, in the 2015 legislative election, as Portugal Ahead (Portuguese: Portugal à Frente, PàF), and it polled ahead with almost 39% of the votes, but was unable to remain in power as it didn't gain enough seats for a majority.
Both parties are running again along with PPM as the Democratic Alliance for the 2024 European and general elections, except in Madeira's constituency in the general, where only PSD and CDS are running together as First Madeira.

## Election results
### Assembly of the Republic
#### 2015 legislative election

For the 2015 legislative election, PSD and CDS-PP ran under a coalition with the name Portugal Ahead. In the legislative election on 5 October 2015, the PSD/CDS-PP joint list received 36.9% of the vote and returned 102 seats in the Assembly of the Republic, with the PSD electing 5 deputies on standalone lists in Madeira and Azores.
Although the coalition won the elections, and surprised many analysts and pundits, the left parties together had a majority in Parliament, and opted to negotiate a confidence-and-supply agreement, thus refusing to allow for a second PSD/CDS-PP cabinet. For the first time in Portuguese democracy the Socialist Party, the second most voted political force in the elections, negotiated with the BE, the PCP and the PEV a formation of a new government.
Following the fall of the short-lived 20th Constitutional Government, the "natural" extinction of the coalition was declared on 16 December 2015 by Passos Coelho: "No formal act is necessary to put an end to it".
| Election | Coalition name | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | Government |
| 2015 | Portugal Ahead | Pedro Passos Coelho | 2,085,465 | 38.6 (#1) | 107 / 230 | Coalition |
| 2015 | Portugal Ahead | Pedro Passos Coelho | 2,085,465 | 38.6 (#1) | 107 / 230 | Opposition |

#### After 2015

After the Portugal Ahead coalition dissolution, both PSD and CDS contested a few constituencies in a joint coalition: In 2022, PSD and CDS ran in a joint coalition in Madeira called Madeira First, and in Azores both parties were joined with PPM in a coalition called Democratic Alliance. In 2024, the PSD, CDS and PPM ran in a joint coalition in all constituencies except Madeira, which repeated the PSD-CDS Madeira First coalition.
| Election | Coalition name | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | Government |
| Nationwide coalitions |||||||
| 2024 | Democratic Alliance | Luís Montenegro | 1,867,464 | 28.9 (#1) | 80 / 230 | Coalition |
| Coalitions in some districts |||||||
| 2022 | All, in coalition and separately | Rui Rio | 1,707,456 | 30.7 (#2) | 77 / 230 | Opposition |
| 2022 | Madeira First (Madeira) | Rui Rio | 50,634 | 39.8 (#1) | 3 / 6 | Opposition |
| 2022 | Democratic Alliance (Azores) | Rui Rio | 28,520 | 33.9 (#2) | 2 / 5 | Opposition |
| 2024 | Madeira First (Madeira) | Luís Montenegro | 52,992 | 35.4 (#1) | 3 / 6 | Coalition |

### European Parliament
#### 2004 European Parliament election

As Forward Portugal (Força Portugal, FP)
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats |
| 2004 | João de Deus Pinheiro | 1,132,769 | 33.3 (#2) | 7 / 21 |

#### 2014 European Parliament election

An alliance was formed as the Portugal Alliance (Aliança Portugal) for the 2014 European Parliament election, in which the alliance won 27.7% of the popular vote and 7 of Portugal's 21 seats in the European Parliament, sitting with the European People's Party Group.
As Portugal Alliance (Aliança Portugal, AP)
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats |
| 2014 | Paulo Rangel | 910,647 | 27.7 (#2) | 7 / 21 |

### Regional Assemblies
#### 2004 Azores regional election

As Azores Coalition (Coligação Açores, CA)
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | Government |
| 2004 | Victor do Couto Cruz | 38,883 | 36.8 (#2) | 21 / 52 | Opposition |

#### 2023 Madeira regional election

As We are Madeira (Somos Madeira, SM)
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | Government |
| 2023 | Miguel Albuquerque | 58,394 | 43.1 (#1) | 23 / 47 | Coalition |

### Local elections

Only in contests where PSD and CDS-PP ran in a joint coalition.
| Election | Votes | % | Councillors | +/- | Mayors | +/- | Assemblies | +/- | Parishes | +/- |
| 1997 | 124,859 | 2.3 (#6) | 7 / 2,021 | New | 0 / 305 | New | 22 / 6,807 | New | 561 / 33,953 | New |
| 2001 | 472,581 | 9.0 (#4) | 114 / 2,044 | 103 | 15 / 308 | 15 | 427 / 6,876 | 392 | 2,124 / 34,569 | 1,486 |
| 2005 | 462,199 | 8.6 (#4) | 131 / 2,046 | 17 | 18 / 308 | 3 | 407 / 6,885 | 20 | 2,065 / 34,498 | 59 |
| 2009 | 540,053 | 9.8 (#3) | 157 / 2,078 | 21 | 19 / 308 | 1 | 522 / 6,946 | 115 | 2,911 / 34,498 | 847 |
| 2013 | 379,110 | 7.6 (#4) | 154 / 2,086 | 3 | 16 / 308 | 3 | 493 / 6,487 | 29 | 2,096 / 27,167 | 815 |
| 2017 | 454,222 | 8.8 (#4) | 169 / 2,074 | 15 | 16 / 308 | 0 | 539 / 6,461 | 46 | 2,486 / 27,005 | 390 |
| 2021 | 540,783 | 10.8 (#3) | 239 / 2,064 | 70 | 31 / 308 | 15 | 751 / 6,448 | 212 | 3,210 / 26,790 | 724 |

### Presidential elections

The table below shows the electoral results of presidential candidates who were endorsed by both parties, besides endorsements by other parties.
| Election | Candidate | 1st round | 1st round | 2nd round | 2nd round |
| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| 1976 | António Ramalho Eanes | 2,967,414 | 61.5 (#1) | – | – |
| 1980 | António Soares Carneiro | 2,319,847 | 40.2 (#2) | – | – |
| 1986 | Diogo Freitas do Amaral | 2,628,178 | 46.3 (#1) | 2,864,728 | 48.7 (#2) |
| 1996 | Aníbal Cavaco Silva | 2,606,236 | 46.2 (#2) | – | – |
| 2001 | Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral | 1,493,858 | 34.5 (#2) | – | – |
| 2006 | Aníbal Cavaco Silva | 2,746,689 | 50.6 (#1) | – | – |
| 2011 | Aníbal Cavaco Silva | 2,231,603 | 53.0 (#1) | – | – |
| 2016 | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | 2,411,925 | 52.0 (#1) | – | – |
| 2021 | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | 2,534,745 | 60.7 (#1) | – | – |

## Leaders

| Date (start of term) | PSD | CDS-PP |
| 22 March 1992 | | Manuel Monteiro |
| 29 March 1996 | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | Manuel Monteiro |
| 22 March 1998 | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | Paulo Portas |
| 1 May 1999 | José Durão Barroso | Paulo Portas |
| 30 June 2004 | Pedro Santana Lopes | Paulo Portas |
| 10 April 2005 | Luís Marques Mendes | Paulo Portas |
| 24 April 2005 | Luís Marques Mendes | José Ribeiro e Castro |
| 21 April 2007 | Luís Marques Mendes | Paulo Portas |
| 28 September 2007 | Luís Filipe Menezes | Paulo Portas |
| 31 May 2008 | Manuela Ferreira Leite | Paulo Portas |
| 26 March 2010 | Pedro Passos Coelho | Paulo Portas |
| 13 March 2016 | Pedro Passos Coelho | Assunção Cristas |
| 18 February 2018 | Rui Rio | Assunção Cristas |
| 25 January 2020 | Rui Rio | Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos |
| 2 April 2022 | Rui Rio | Nuno Melo |
| 3 July 2022 | Luís Montenegro | Nuno Melo |