The Portuguese local elections of 1982 took place on 12 December. They were the third local elections in Portugal since the democratic revolution of 1974 introduced the concept of democratic local power.

Quick Facts All 305 Portuguese municipalities and 4,260 Portuguese Parishes All 1,909 local government councils, Turnout ...

1982 Portuguese local elections

← 1979 12 December 1982 1985 →
All 305 Portuguese municipalities and 4,260 Portuguese Parishes All 1,909 local government councils
Turnout	71.1% 0.6 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Francisco Pinto Balsemão Mário Soares Álvaro Cunhal Party PSD PS PCP Alliance AD APU Last election 195 mayors, 47.5% 60 mayors, 28.3% 50 mayors, 19.9% Popular vote 2,117,647[1] 1,578,915[2] 1,038,033 Percentage 42.7% 31.8% 20.9% Swing 4.8 pp 3.5 pp 1.0 pp Mayors 165[3] 84[4] 55 Mayors +/– 30 24 5 Councillors 953[5] 630[6] 316 Councillors +/– 110 114 0

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The elections consisted of three separate elections in the 305 Portuguese municipalities that existed at the time, the election for the Municipal Chambers, whose winner is elected mayor, another election for the Municipal Assembly and a last one for the lower-level Parish Assembly, whose winner is elected parish president, this last was held separately in the more than 4,000 parishes around the country.

The Socialist Party finished once more on the top of the results table, increasing its share by 4%, however that was because the coalition between the two major right-wing parties, the Democratic and Social Center and the Social Democratic Party, the Democratic Alliance, did not participate in all Municipalities and Parishes, being the parties which composed it, separated in many Municipalities. This right wing coalition did, however, lose some voting in relation to the previous election.

The left-wing United People Alliance dominated the election in the municipalities of the South of the country, gathering more than 60% of the voting and achieving its best result ever with 20.7% and 55 mayors.

Despite the victory of the Democratic Alliance, the then PSD leader and Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão considered the results a disappointment, citting divisions with his own party and the alliance, and resigned from both posts.^[7] This decision led to a snap general election in April 1983.

The main political forces involved in the election were:

• Democratic Alliance (AD) (only in some municipalities)
• Democratic and Social Center (CDS) (only in some municipalities)
• Socialist Party (PS)
• Social Democratic Party (PSD) (only in some municipalities)
• United People Alliance (APU)

• The source of the voting data is the Portuguese Electoral Commission Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine

Further Notes:

• Democratic Alliance (AD) was composed by the Democratic Social Center (CDS), the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM).
• Although the PSD, the CDS and the PPM were united in the Democratic Alliance, they appear in the scorecard because they ran separated in several municipalities.
• The Democratic Union (UD) was composed only by the Democratic Social Center (CDS) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD)
• United People Alliance (APU) was composed by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP/CDE).
• The number of candidacies expresses the number of municipalities or parishes in which the party or coalition presented lists.
• The number of mandates expresses the number of municipal deputies in the Municipal Assembly election and the number of parish deputies in the Parish Assembly election.
• The turnout varies because one may choose not to vote for all the organs.

• Politics of Portugal
• List of political parties in Portugal
• Elections in Portugal