# 1st Legislature of the Third Portuguese Republic

The 1st Legislature of the Third Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: I Legislatura da Terceira República Portuguesa) ran from 3 June 1976 to 12 November 1980. The composition of the Assembly of the Republic, the legislative body of Portugal, was determined by the results of the 1976 legislative election, held on 25 April 1976.
This was the only legislature where the composition changed mid-term due to another election, when the 1979 legislative election, held on 2 December 1979, was called after a period of governmental instability, with the resignation of Mário Soares government in 1978, plus the fall of two Presidential appointed Prime Ministers also in 1978 and 1979. President António Ramalho Eanes dissolved the Assembly in September 1979 and called an election for 2 December 1979. Due to the then Fixed-term Parliament rules, another election had to be held at end of the 4-year term of the legislature, in 1980.

## Election

The 1st Portuguese legislative election was held on 25 April 1976. In the election, the Socialist Party (PS) won the most seats and formed a minority government. Between January and August 1978, the PS formed a majority coalition government with the Democratic and Social Center (CDS).
| Party | Party | Assembly of the Republic | Assembly of the Republic | Assembly of the Republic | Assembly of the Republic |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/− |
| | PS | 1,912,921 | 34.89 | 107 | –9 |
| | PPD | 1,335,381 | 24.35 | 73 | –8 |
| | CDS | 876,007 | 15.98 | 42 | +26 |
| | PCP | 788,830 | 14.39 | 40 | +10 |
| | UDP | 91,690 | 1.67 | 1 | ±0 |
| | Other/blank/invalid | 478,632 | 8.73 | 0 | –6 |
| Total | Total | 5,483,461 | 100.00 | 263 | +13 |
The 2nd Portuguese legislative election was held on 2 December 1979. In the election, the Democratic Alliance (AD), a coalition composed by the Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD), the Democratic and Social Center (CDS) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) won a majority of the seats and the three parties formed a majority coalition government.
| Party | Party | Assembly of the Republic | Assembly of the Republic | Assembly of the Republic | Assembly of the Republic |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/− |
| | AD | 2,719,208 | 45.26 | 128 | +13 |
| | PS | 1,642,136 | 27.33 | 74 | –33 |
| | APU | 1,129,322 | 18.80 | 47 | +7 |
| | UDP | 130,842 | 2.18 | 1 | ±0 |
| | Other/blank/invalid | 385,945 | 6.43 | 0 | ±0 |
| Total | Total | 6,007,453 | 100.00 | 250 | –13 |

## Composition
### 1976–1979

| Party | Party | Parliamentary group leader | Elected 1976 | Elected 1976 | Before 1979 | Before 1979 |
| Party | Party | Parliamentary group leader | Seats | % | Seats | % |
| | PS | Francisco Salgado Zenha (Porto) | 107 | 40.7 | 102 | 38.8 |
| | PPD | Francisco Sá Carneiro (Porto) (1976) Afonso Moura Guedes (Lisbon) (1976–1977) António Barbosa de Melo (Coimbra) (1977–1978) Joaquim Magalhães Mota (Lisbon) (1978) José Menéres Pimentel (Lisbon) (1978–1979) Francisco Sá Carneiro (Porto) (1979–1980) | 73 | 27.7 | 36 | 13.7 |
| | CDS | Adelino Amaro da Costa (Porto) (1976–1978) Narana Coissoró (Lisbon) (1978–1980) | 42 | 16.0 | 41 | 15.6 |
| | PCP | Carlos Brito (Faro) | 40 | 15.2 | 40 | 15.2 |
| | UDP | Acácio Barreiros (Lisbon) | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.4 |
| | ASDI | António Sousa Franco (Lisbon) | 0 | 0.0 | 37 | 14.0 |
| | Independent | Carmelinda Pereira (Lisbon) António Aires Rodrigues (Leiria) José Justiniano Pinto (Setúbal) António Lopes Cardoso (Beja) Reinaldo Rodrigues (Aveiro) Carlos Galvão de Melo (Viseu) | 0 | 0.0 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 263 | 100.0 | 263 | 100.0 |

#### Changes

* In January 1977, Carmelinda Pereira and Aires Rodrigues were expelled from the Socialist Party.
* In March 1977, Carlos Galvão de Melo left the Democratic and Social Center caucus.
* In November 1977, António Lopes Cardoso, José Justiniano Pinto and Reinaldo Rodrigues left the Socialist Party due to disagreements with Mário Soares' government.
* In April 1979, 32 deputies from the Social Democratic Party left the party and formed the Independent Social Democratic Action, following disagreements with Francisco Sá Carneiro's leadership, including his opposition to negotiate with PS and his lack of support to President Ramalho Eanes.

### 1979–1980

| Party | Party | Parliamentary group leader | Elected 1979 | Elected 1979 | Dissolution | Dissolution |
| Party | Party | Parliamentary group leader | Seats | % | Seats | % |
| | PPD/PSD | Pedro Roseta (Castelo Branco) | 80 | 32.0 | 75 | 30.0 |
| | PS | Francisco Salgado Zenha (Porto) | 74 | 29.6 | 74 | 29.6 |
| | PCP | Carlos Brito (Faro) | 44 | 17.6 | 44 | 17.6 |
| | CDS | Narana Coissoró (Lisbon) | 43 | 17.2 | 43 | 17.2 |
| | PPM | Augusto Ferreira do Amaral (Lisbon) | 5 | 2.0 | 5 | 2.0 |
| | MDP/CDE | José Tengarrinha (Lisbon) | 3 | 1.2 | 3 | 1.2 |
| | UDP | Mário Tomé (Lisbon) | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.4 |
| | DR | Francisco Sousa Tavares (Évora) José Medeiros Ferreira (Lisbon) Armando Adão Silva (Lisbon) Nuno Maria Matos (Lisbon) Pelágio Madureira (Porto) | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 2.0 |
| Total | Total | Total | 250 | 100.0 | 250 | 100.0 |

#### Changes

* In January 1980, Francisco Sousa Tavares, José Medeiros Ferreira, Armando Adão Silva, Nuno Maria Matos and Pelágio Madureira, elected in the lists of the Democratic Alliance, left the Social Democratic Caucus and formed their own parliamentary group, the Reformers.

## Election for President of the Assembly of the Republic

To be elected, a candidate needs to reach a minimum of 132 votes. Vasco da Gama Fernandes, from the Socialist Party, was easily elected:
Election of the President of the Assembly of the Republic :
| 1st Ballot → | 1st Ballot → | 29 July 1976 | 29 July 1976 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 132 out of 263 | 132 out of 263 |
| | Vasco da Gama Fernandes (PS) | 215 / 263 | Y |
| | Against | 4 / 263 | 4 / 263 |
| | Blank ballots | 0 / 263 | 0 / 263 |
| | Invalid ballots | 0 / 263 | 0 / 263 |
| | Absentees | 44 / 263 | 44 / 263 |
| Sources: ||||
At the end of each parliamentary session, the regiment called for a new election to elect the President. As such, a new ballot was held in the beginning of the second session, where Vasco da Gama Fernandes was re-elected.
Election of the President of the Assembly of the Republic :
| 1st Ballot → | 1st Ballot → | 25 October 1977 | 25 October 1977 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 132 out of 263 | 132 out of 263 |
| | Vasco da Gama Fernandes (PS) | 143 / 263 | Y |
| | Against | 0 / 263 | 0 / 263 |
| | Blank ballots | 41 / 263 | 41 / 263 |
| | Invalid ballots | 4 / 263 | 4 / 263 |
| | Absentees | 35 / 263 | 35 / 263 |
| Sources: ||||
At the beginning of the third session, Vasco da Gama Fernandes decided not to run again for President. As such, the Socialist Party appointed Teófilo Carvalho dos Santos as the new candidate. He was elected.
Election of the President of the Assembly of the Republic :
| 1st Ballot → | 1st Ballot → | 30 October 1978 | 30 October 1978 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 132 out of 263 | 132 out of 263 |
| | Teófilo Carvalho dos Santos (PS) | 134 / 263 | Y |
| | Against | 84 / 263 | 84 / 263 |
| | Blank ballots | 1 / 263 | 1 / 263 |
| | Invalid ballots | 3 / 263 | 3 / 263 |
| | Abstentions | 8 / 250 | 8 / 250 |
| | Absentees | 33 / 263 | 33 / 263 |
| Sources: ||||
After the 1979 elections, the Social Democratic Party proposed Leonardo Ribeiro de Almeida as a candidate, who ran against the incumbent President, Teófilo Carvalho dos Santos. Leonardo Ribeiro de Almeida was elected.
Election of the President of the Assembly of the Republic :
| Ballot → | Ballot → | 8 January 1980 | 8 January 1980 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 126 out of 250 | 126 out of 250 |
| | Leonardo Ribeiro de Almeida (PPD/PSD) | 129 / 250 | Y |
| | Teófilo Carvalho dos Santos (PS) | 119 / 250 | N |
| | Blank ballots | 1 / 250 | 1 / 250 |
| | Invalid ballots | 0 / 250 | 0 / 250 |
| | Absentees | 1 / 250 | 1 / 250 |
| Sources: ||||