2001 Portuguese presidential election

A presidential election was held in Portugal on 14 January 2001.

Incumbent president Jorge Sampaio was eliglbe to run for a second consecutive term, and was a candidate for re-election. Sampaio was easily re-elected for a second term, like what happened with Mário Soares and Ramalho Eanes, gathering 55% of the votes and winning all districts except Bragança.

As the re-election of the center-left president was certain, both the Portuguese Communist Party and the Left Bloc (BE), the latter for the first time, presented their own candidates. The Communists presented António Abreu, a candidate with low name recognition among voters, which resulted in poor results, just 5% of the votes, while the BE supported Fernando Rosas, who polled at 3% of the votes. The Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers also presented its own candidate for the first time in its history, Garcia Pereira, polling at 1.6% of the votes. On the right, Ferreira do Amaral was supported by the two major parties from that side, the Social Democratic Party and the CDS – People's Party, winning approximately 35% of the votes and polling second, failing once again the objective of electing a right-wing president for the first time since the Carnation Revolution.

Turnout was quite low, just 49.71 percent of voters cast a ballot, however, this was the first presidential election in which Portuguese overseas voters were able to cast a ballot. Jorge Sampaio was sworn in for a second term as President on 9 March 2001.

Background Jorge Sampaio was elected president, in January 1996, with nearly 54% of the votes. Sampaio's first term was marked by the calm relationship with prime minister António Guterres, also from the Socialist Party (PS). Sampaio's term as head of state was also defined by his role in the struggle for East Timor's independence, in which the president was an active voice against Indonesian occupation and demanded self-determination for the Timorese people, the handover of Macau in 1999, where Sampaio was visibly moved, and the Expo '98.

Pre-campaign

In the follow-up for the presidential election, and with Sampaio's victory a sure thing, divisions on the right-wing emerged regarding a common presidential candidate supported by both PSD and CDS–PP. The CDS–PP, at first, considered presenting a candidate of its own, with 1991 candidate Basílio Horta announcing a candidacy, but dropping out after the summer of 2000. On the PSD, party leader José Manuel Durão Barroso invited former prime minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão to run against Sampaio, but Balsemão rejected. By then, the candidacy of former minister under Cavaco Silva, Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral, which had announced his run in March 2000, became the sole one on the right-wing, gaining the support of the PSD and also of many CDS–PP members, with party leader Paulo Portas asking his electorate to "not vote for the socialist candidate".

Electoral system Any Portuguese citizen over 35 years old has the opportunity to run for president. In order to do so it is necessary to gather between 7,500 and 15,000 signatures and submit them to the Portuguese Constitutional Court.

According to the Portuguese Constitution, to be elected, a candidate needs a majority of votes. If no candidate gets this majority there will take place a second round between the two most voted candidates.

Candidates

Official candidates Candidates who formalized their candidacy and submitted enough signatures to the Constitutional Court that were accepted. Candidates are ordered by their vote share. CandidateParty supportPolitical office(s)DetailsJorge Sampaio (61)President of the Republic (1996–2006)Mayor of Lisbon (1989–1995)Secretary-general of the Socialist Party (1989–1992)Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1976–1983; 1985–1995)Incumbent president after winning the 1996 presidential election with 53.9% of the votes; eligible for a second term.Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral (55)Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1995–2009)Minister of Public Works (1990–1995)Minister of Commerce and Tourism (1984–1985; 1987–1990)Secretary of State for Tourism (1983–1984)Secretary of State for European Integration (1981)Secretary of State for Industries (1979–1980)Social Democratic Party (PSD) member; engineer.António Abreu (53)City Councillor in Lisbon (1993–2001)Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) member since 1969; engineer.Fernando Rosas (54)NoneLeft Bloc (BE) founding member; journalist and historian.António Garcia Pereira (49)Secretary-general of the Portuguese Workers' Communist Party (1982–2015)Portuguese Workers' Communist Party (PCTP/MRPP) member; lawyer.

Unsuccessful candidacies There were also four candidates rejected by the Portuguese Constitutional Court for not complying with the legal requirement of being proposed by 7500 voters: Pedro Maria Braga; Maria Teresa Lameiro; Josué Rodrigues Pedro; Manuel João Vieira;

These four candidates were present in the draw of the ballot position, but did not appear in the final ballot.

Declined

Aníbal Cavaco Silva – former Prime Minister (1985–1995); presidential candidate in the previous election; Basílio Horta – minister in previous governments; candidate in the 1991 presidential election; Daniel Proença de Carvalho – former Minister of Social Communication (1978–1979); Diogo Freitas do Amaral – former President of the CDS (1974–1983; 1988–1992); candidate in the 1986 presidential election; Francisco Pinto Balsemão – former Prime Minister (1981–1983); former President of the Social Democratic Party (1980–1983); José Manuel Durão Barroso – incumbent President of the Social Democratic Party (1999–2004); José Vieira de Carvalho – incumbent Mayor of Maia (1970–1974; 1979–2002); Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa – former President of the Social Democratic Party (1996–1999).

Campaign period Issues With Jorge Sampaio's re-election practically guaranteed, the campaign was mostly dominated by foreign policy. In the aftermath of the Kosovo war, Portuguese troops participated in NATO missions, but the death of a soldier who returned from one of these missions raised suspicions of contamination by depleted uranium. The then-socialist government, led by António Guterres, acknowledged that it knew of NATO's use of depleted uranium weapons against Kosovo, and claimed the danger was downplayed. This case caused an embarrassment to Sampaio's campaign, with his opponents accusing the President of "protecting" the government.

Party slogans Candidate Original slogan English translation Refs Jorge Sampaio « Por todos nós » "For all of us" Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral « Juntos conseguimos » "Together we succeed" António Abreu « Razões de esquerda para Portugal » "Left reasons for Portugal" Fernando Rosas « Esquerda com rosto » "Left with a face" António Garcia Pereira « Ousar sonhar, ousar lutar, ousar vencer! » "Dare to dream, dare to fight, dare to win!"

Candidates' debates 2001 Portuguese presidential election debates Date Organisers Moderator(s) Sampaio Amaral Abreu Rosas Pereira Refs 4 Jan RTP1 Judite de SousaPPPPP

Opinion polls

Polling firmDate releasedSamplesize / Lead Election results 14 Jan 2001 55.6 34.7 5.2 3.0 1.6 20.9 UCP 14 Jan 2001 54–59 32–36 4–7 2–3.5 1–2.5 22.5 Eurosondagem 14 Jan 2001 55.9–58.7 31.1–34.9 4.2–6.4 1.7–3.3 1.1–2.3 24.4 Intercampus 14 Jan 2001 54.8–59.2 30.9–35.1 4.5–6.5 1.9–3.3 1.3–2.5 24.0 UCP 12 Jan 2001 63.5 29.1 2.4 2.7 2.2 34.4 Euroexpansão 12 Jan 2001 64.8 31.9 1.2 1.7 0.4 32.9 Eurosondagem 12 Jan 2001 67.6 27.6 1.5 2.2 0.9 40.0 UCP 7 Jan 2001 67.9 27.2 2.2 1.9 0.8 40.7 Euroexpansão 30 Dec 2000 60.1 29.6 1.1 1.6 0.4 7.2 30.5 UCP 18 Dec 2001 62.0 31.6 1.7 2.0 0.2 2.5 30.4 Euroexpansão Nov 2000 61.9 26.4 1.3 1.4 9.0 35.5 Marktest 26 May 2000 66.5 13.9 3.8 52.6 Euroexpansão 1 Apr 2000 67 17 5 50

Results National summary

Results by district District Sampaio Amaral Abreu Rosas Garcia Pereira Turnout Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %   Aveiro 149,301 51.16% 125,306 42.93% 6,240 2.14% 6,942 2.38% 4,068 1.39% 51.96%   Azores 43,848 63.81% 21,378 31.11% 841 1.22% 1,558 2.27% 1,092 1.59% 37.18%   Beja 41,180 62.16% 9,988 15.08% 11,979 18.08% 2,287 3.45% 814 1.23% 47.12%   Braga 196,641 54.79% 137,989 38.45% 8,922 2.49% 10,362 2.89% 4,998 1.39% 55.24%   Bragança 29,514 46.33% 30,612 48.06% 1,247 1.96% 1,433 2.25% 893 1.40% 43.45%   Castelo Branco 57,888 58.89% 33,353 33.93% 3,069 3.12% 2,698 2.74% 1,296 1.32% 52.45%   Coimbra 107,310 58.20% 62,441 33.86% 6,517 3.53% 5,410 2.93% 2,714 1.47% 50.13%   Évora 45,182 62.00% 14,914 20.47% 9,970 13.68% 2,080 2.85% 724 0.99% 50.28%   Faro 86,483 59.40% 44,471 30.54% 6,415 4.41% 5,394 3.70% 2,834 1.95% 47.48%   Guarda 40,597 51.31% 33,617 42.49% 1,917 2.42% 1,917 2.42% 1,067 1.35% 47.68%   Leiria 90,854 47.51% 86,805 45.50% 5,860 3.06% 5,017 2.62% 2,679 1.40% 51.97%   Lisbon 517,692 56.49% 285,472 31.15% 61,338 6.69% 32,831 3.58% 19,077 2.08% 51.69%   Madeira 51,837 51.01% 43,092 42.41% 1,477 1.45% 3,237 3.19% 1,970 1.94% 49.26%   Portalegre 34,956 62.79% 13,311 23.91% 5,271 9.47% 1,453 2.61% 679 1.22% 51.20%   Porto 428,798 57.87% 256,975 34.68% 25,433 3.43% 19,648 2.65% 10,072 1.36% 53.13%   Santarém 113,079 56.84% 65,258 32.80% 11,344 5.70% 6,320 3.18% 2,959 1.49% 52.59%   Setúbal 190,543 60.05% 64,500 20.33% 44,453 14.01% 12,168 3.83% 5,647 1.78% 50.03%   Viana do Castelo 58,235 52.63% 44,441 40.16% 3,291 2.97% 3,172 2.87% 1,521 1.37% 49.88%   Vila Real 48,037 48.44% 45,519 45.90% 1,955 1.97% 2,343 2.36% 1,312 1.32% 46.24%   Viseu 79,478 48.72% 74,416 45.61% 2,992 1.83% 4,097 2.51% 2,161 1.32% 48.03%   Overseas 9,011 59.22% 5,031 33.07% 650 4.27% 285 1.87% 238 1.56% 8.33% Source:

Maps

Notes

References

External links Portuguese Electoral Commission NSD: European Election Database - Portugal publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990-2010