# 1976 Portuguese local elections

Local elections were held in Portugal on Sunday, 12 December 1976. They were the first local elections in Portugal. The democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power, that should be exerted by the citizens in their towns and cities. These elections ended a cycle of three elections in 1976, after the 1976 legislative election in April and the 1976 Presidential election in June.
The elections were meant to elect for the first time the administration of the about 300 municipalities of the country and of the about 4000 parishes that composed those 300 municipalities. They consisted of three elections in each of the municipalities; the election for the municipal chamber, whose winner is automatically elected mayor, similar to first-past-the-post (FPTP), the election for the municipal assembly and the lower-level election for the parish assembly, whose winner is also automatically elected as President.
The Socialist Party gathered the majority of the voting and mandates, beating the Social Democratic Party, although both parties tied in number of elected mayors, 115. The Communists led coalition, the Electoral Front United People, dominated the election in the South of the country, with more than 17 percent of the votes and elected 37 mayors. The right-wing Democratic Social Center, following their strong showing in the 1976 April legislative election, achieved its best result ever in local elections, almost 17 percent of the votes and 36 mayors.
Turnout in these elections was quite low, as 64.7% of the electorate cast a ballot, compared with the 83.5% turnout rate of the 1976 general elections in April.

## Parties

The main political forces involved in the election:
* Democratic and Social Center (CDS)
* Electoral Front United People (FEPU)
* Groups for the Dinamization of the People's Unity (GDUPs)
* Socialist Party (PS)
* Social Democratic Party (PSD)

## Results
### Municipal Chamber
#### National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 12 December 1976 Municipal Councils elections results :
| Parties | Parties | Votes | % | Candidacies | Councillors | Mayors |
| Parties | Parties | Votes | % | Candidacies | Total | Total |
| | Socialist | 1,377,684 | 33.01 | | 691 | 115 |
| | Social Democratic | 1,014,092 | 24.30 | | 624 | 115 |
| | Electoral Front United People | 720,499 | 17.26 | | 268 | 37 |
| | Democratic and Social Centre | 693,766 | 16.62 | | 317 | 36 |
| | GDUPs | 103,784 | 2.49 | | 5 | 0 |
| | Portuguese Workers' Communist | 27,505 | 0.59 | | 0 | 0 |
| | PCP(m-l) | 15,267 | 0.37 | | 0 | 0 |
| | People's Monarchist | 7,528 | 0.18 | | 3 | 1 |
| | Internationalist Communist League | 3,464 | 0.08 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Workers' Revolutionary | 273 | 0.00 | | 0 | 0 |
| | United People Alliance | 123 | 0.00 | | 0 | 0 |
| Total valid | Total valid | 3,995,905 | 95.74 | — | 1,908 | 304 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 89,073 | 2.13 | | | |
| Invalid ballots | Invalid ballots | 88,783 | 2.13 | | | |
| Total | Total | 4,173,761 | 100.00 | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 6,454,990 | 64.66 | | | |

#### City control

The following table lists party control in all district capitals, highlighted in bold, as well as in municipalities above 100,000 inhabitants. Population estimates from the 1970 Census.
| Municipality | Population | New control |
| Almada | 107,575 | Electoral Front United People (FEPU) |
| Aveiro | 49,808 | Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) |
| Beja | 36,384 | Electoral Front United People (FEPU) |
| Braga | 96,918 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Bragança | 33,070 | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Cascais | 92,907 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Castelo Branco | 55,195 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Coimbra | 110,553 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Évora | 47,244 | Electoral Front United People (FEPU) |
| Faro | 30,973 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Funchal | 101,810 | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Gondomar | 105,075 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Guarda | 39,741 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Guimarães | 122,719 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Leiria | 80,241 | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Lisbon | 769,044 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Loures | 166,167 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Matosinhos | 109,225 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Oeiras | 180,194 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Ponta Delgada | 67,975 | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Portalegre | 25,800 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Porto | 301,655 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Santarém | 56,440 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Setúbal | 65,230 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Sintra | 124,893 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Viana do Castelo | 70,455 | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Vila Nova de Gaia | 180,875 | Socialist Party (PS) |
| Vila Real | 44,550 | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Viseu | 73,010 | Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) |

### Municipal Assemblies
#### National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 12 December 1976 Municipal Assemblies elections results :
| Parties | Parties | Votes | % | Candidacies | Mandates |
| Parties | Parties | Votes | % | Candidacies | Total |
| | Socialist | 1,392,181 | 33.39 | | 1,698 |
| | Social Democratic | 1,022,168 | 24.52 | | 1,658 |
| | Electoral Front United People | 756,856 | 18.15 | | 679 |
| | Democratic and Social Centre | 685,574 | 16.44 | | 1,053 |
| | GDUPs | 100,872 | 2.42 | | 43 |
| | PCP(m-l) | 5,363 | 0.13 | | 2 |
| | Portuguese Workers' Communist | 5,214 | 0.13 | | 0 |
| | People's Monarchist | 3,695 | 0.09 | | 2 |
| | Workers' Revolutionary | 2,634 | 0.06 | | 0 |
| | Christian Democratic | 970 | 0.02 | | 0 |
| Total valid | Total valid | 3,975,596 | 95.24 | — | 5,135 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 104,185 | 2.50 | | |
| Invalid ballots | Invalid ballots | 89,241 | 2.26 | | |
| Total | Total | 4,169,022 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 6,453,783 | 64.60 | | |

### Parish Assemblies
#### National summary of votes and seats

Summary of the 12 December 1976 Parish Assemblies elections results :
| Parties | Parties | Votes | % | Candidacies | Mandates | Presidents |
| Parties | Parties | Votes | % | Candidacies | Total | Total |
| | Socialist | 1,339,460 | 32.69 | | 8,345 | |
| | Social Democratic | 996,972 | 24.33 | | 9,076 | |
| | Electoral Front United People | 629,812 | 15.37 | | 2,291 | |
| | Democratic and Social Centre | 617,690 | 15.07 | | 5,077 | |
| | Independents | 162,367 | 3.96 | | 1,230 | |
| | GDUPs | 93,967 | 2.29 | | 99 | |
| | Portuguese Workers' Communist | 13,721 | 0.33 | | 2 | |
| | People's Monarchist | 1,788 | 0.04 | | 12 | |
| | PCP(m-l) | 1,666 | 0.04 | | 3 | |
| | Internationalist Communist League | 71 | 0.00 | | 0 | |
| Total valid | Total valid | 3,915,120 | 95.55 | — | 26,135 | |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 88,985 | 2.17 | | | |
| Invalid ballots | Invalid ballots | 93,461 | 2.28 | | | |
| Total | Total | 4,097,566 | 100.00 | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 6,246,594 | 65.60 | | | |

### Maps

* The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Councils in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)
* The first and the second most voted parties in Municipal Assemblies in sech district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)
* The first and the second most voted parties in Parish Assemblies in each district. (Azores and Madeira are not shown)