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Portuguese Stay Loyal to Socialist Party

November 29, 2008

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Portugal’s governing Socialist Party (PS) remains the most popular political organization in the country, according to a poll by Maktest released by Diario de Noticias and TSF. 39.8 per cent of respondents would support the PS in the next general election, up 3.7 points since September.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) is second with 28.7 per cent, followed by the Leftist Bloc (BE) with 11.4 per cent, the Unitarian Democratic Coalition (CDU)—which includes the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Environmental Party "The Greens" (OV)—with ten per cent, and the Social Democratic Centre / Popular Party (CDS/PP) with 6.4 per cent.

The Socialists won the February 2005 parliamentary ballot, garnering 45.3 per cent of the vote and electing 121 lawmakers to the 230-seat Assembly of the Republic. Socialist leader Jose Socrates took over as prime minister in March.

Earlier this month, the government signed a deal with Renault-Nissan that will seek to turn Portugal into an electric-vehicle haven. The government committed to build over 1,000 charging stations and ensure that one-fifth of all public service vehicles are "zero-emission" starting in 2011. The car maker will have to make vehicles available to consumers by the same year.

Socrates praised the deal, saying, "Portugal is a global leader in renewable energy. The next step is to make Portugal a pioneer in zero emission mobility. Electric vehicles offer major benefits to our society by reducing imports of fuel, improving energy security, reducing CO2 emissions and offering a reliable and secure alternative towards sustainable mobility."

Polling Data

What party would you vote for in a general election?

	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008	Jul. 2008
Socialist Party (PS)	39.8%	36.1%	36.7%
Social Democratic Party (PSD)	28.7%	29.3%	32.7%
Leftist Bloc (BE)	11.4%	10.9%	11.4%
Unitarian Democratic Coalition (CDU) Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) Environmental Party "The Greens" (OV)	10.0%	12.6%	10.0%
Social Democratic Centre / Popular Party (CDS/PP)	6.4%	7.1%	5.1%

Source: Marktest / Diario de Noticias / TSF
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 812 Portuguese adults, conducted from Oct. 21 to Oct. 24, 2008. Margin of error is 3.45 per cent.