President of the Social Democratic Party (Portugal)

The president of the Social Democratic Party is highest position within the Portuguese Social Democratic Party (PSD). The current holder is Luís Montenegro, who was elected to the position on 1 July 2022 after his victory in the 28 May 2022 leadership election, being also the current prime minister.

From the party's foundation to the 3rd Congress in October 1976, the most important position in the party was that of secretary-general, but after the 3rd Congress the post of president was created and the secretary-general became the second most important position within the party.

Between 1976 and 2005, party presidents were elected by delegate votes in a party congress, but in 2006, party rules were changed and registered party members, with membership fees updated, gained the right to elect the president instead of delegates in a congress. In 2012, another change to the rules introduced the possibility of a second round if no candidate obtains more than 50% of the votes in the first round of voting.

To this day, seven presidents of the Social Democratic Party have become prime ministers while being the leader of the PSD: Francisco Sá Carneiro in 1979, Francisco Pinto Balsemão in 1981, Aníbal Cavaco Silva in 1985, Durão Barroso in 2002, Pedro Santana Lopes in 2004, Pedro Passos Coelho in 2011 and Luís Montenegro in 2024. In addition, Aníbal Cavaco Silva held the presidency of the Republic from 2006 to 2016, and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also former party president, is the current president of the Republic since 2016.

List of presidents of the Social Democratic Party Colour key #PortraitNameConstituencyTerm in officeElectionPrime MinisterRef.StartEnd1Francisco Sá Carneiro(1934–1980)Porto (1975–1980)Lisbon (1980) 1976 19771976Mário Soares (1976–1978)2António de Sousa Franco(1942–2004)Lisbon 1977 1978Jan. 19783José Menéres Pimentel(1928–2014)Lisbon 1978 1978–Alfredo Nobre da Costa (1978)Carlos Mota Pinto (1978–1979)4Francisco Sá Carneiro(1934–1980)Porto (1975–1980)Lisbon (1980) 1978 1980Jul. 19781979Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo (1979–1980)himself (1980)–Leonardo Ribeiro de Almeida (interim)(1936–1985)Santarém (1975–1985)Lisbon (1987–1991)Santarém (1991–1995) 1980 1980–Diogo Freitas do Amaral (1980–1981)5Francisco Pinto Balsemão(1937–2025)Lisbon (1975–1976)Porto (1976–1983)Lisbon (1983–1985) 1980 19831980himself (1981–1983)19816Nuno Rodrigues dos Santos(1910–1984)Lisbon 1983 19841983Francisco Pinto Balsemão (1983)Mário Soares (1983–1985)7Carlos Mota Pinto(1936–1985)Coimbra 1984 198519848Rui Machete(b. 1940)Setúbal (1976–1979)Lisbon (1985–1995) 1985 1985–9Aníbal Cavaco Silva(b. 1939)Lisbon 1985 19951985himself (1985–1995)198619881990199210Fernando Nogueira(b. 1950)Porto 1995 19961995Aníbal Cavaco Silva (1995)António Guterres (1995–2002)11Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa(b. 1948)Lisbon 1996 19991996199812José Manuel Durão Barroso(b. 1956)Lisbon (1985–1987)Viseu (1987–1995)Lisbon (1995–2004) 1999 2004 199920002002 himself (2002–2004)May 200413Pedro Santana Lopes(b. 1956)Lisbon (1980–1995)Coimbra (1999–2002)Lisbon (2005–2009) 2004 2005Jul. 2004himself (2004–2005)José Sócrates (2005–2011)14Luís Marques Mendes(b. 1957)Braga (1987–1991)Viana do Castelo (1991–1995)Braga (1995–1999)Aveiro (1999–2009) 2005 2007 2005200615Luís Filipe Menezes(b. 1953)Porto 2007 2008200716Manuela Ferreira Leite(b. 1940)Évora (1995–1999)Lisbon (1999–2011) 2008 2010200817Pedro Passos Coelho(b. 1964)Lisbon (1991–1999)Vila Real (2011–2015)Lisbon (2015–2018) 2010 201820102012himself (2011–2015)20142016António Costa (2015–2024)18Rui Rio(b. 1957)Porto 2018 202220182020202119Luís Montenegro(b. 1973)Aveiro (2005–2018)Lisbon (2024–2025)Aveiro (since 2025) 2022Incumbent20222024himself (since 2024)2026

By time in office #NameTime in officeDuration1Aníbal Cavaco Silva1985–19952Pedro Passos Coelho2010–20183José Manuel Durão Barroso1999–20044Rui Rio2018–20225Luís Montenegro2022–present (Incumbent)6Francisco Sá Carneiro1976–1977; 1978–19803 years, 166 days7Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa1996–19998Luís Marques Mendes2005–20079Francisco Pinto Balsemão1980–198310Manuela Ferreira Leite2008–201011Fernando Nogueira1995–199612Nuno Rodrigues dos Santos1983–198413Carlos Mota Pinto1984–198514Luís Filipe Menezes2007–200815Pedro Santana Lopes2004–200516António de Sousa Franco1977–197817Rui Machete198518José Menéres Pimentel197819Leonardo Ribeiro de Almeida (interim)1980

List of secretaries-general of the Social Democratic Party

As leaders of the party (1974–1976) #PortraitNameConstituencyTerm in officePrime MinisterRef.StartEnd1Francisco Sá Carneiro(1934–1980)Porto (1975–1980)Lisbon (1980) 1974 1975Vasco Gonçalves (1974–1975)2Emídio Guerreiro(1899–2005)Porto 1975 1975José Pinheiro de Azevedo (1975–1976)3Francisco Sá Carneiro(1934–1980)Porto (1975–1980)Lisbon (1980) 1975 1976Mário Soares (1976–1978) As second in command (1976–present) #NameTook officeLeft officeParty PresidentRef.4Joaquim Magalhães Mota31 October 197629 January 1978Francisco Sá CarneiroAntónio Sousa Franco5José Sérvulo Correia29 January 19782 July 1978José Menéres Pimentel6Amândio de Azevedo2 July 197817 July 1979Francisco Sá Carneiro7António Capucho17 July 197925 March 1984Francisco Pinto BalsemãoNuno Rodrigues dos Santos8Francisco Antunes da Silva25 March 198419 May 1985Carlos Mota PintoRui Machete9Manuel Dias Loureiro19 May 19858 April 1990Aníbal Cavaco Silva10José Falcão e Cunha8 April 199015 November 199211José Nunes Liberato15 November 199219 February 199512Eduardo Azevedo Soares19 February 199531 March 1996Fernando Nogueira13Rui Rio31 March 199620 June 1997Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa14Carlos Horta e Costa20 June 199719 April 199815António Capucho19 April 199817 January 199916Artur Torres Pereira17 January 19992 May 1999José Manuel Durão Barroso17José Luís Arnaut2 May 199923 May 200418Miguel Relvas23 May 200410 April 2005Pedro Santana Lopes19Miguel Macedo10 April 200514 October 2007Luís Marques Mendes20José Ribau Esteves14 October 200722 June 2008Luís Filipe Menezes21Luís Marques Guedes22 June 200811 April 2010Manuela Ferreira Leite22Miguel Relvas11 April 201012 July 2011Pedro Passos Coelho23José Matos Rosa12 July 201118 February 201824Feliciano Barreiras Duarte18 February 201819 March 2018Rui Rio25José Silvano19 March 20183 July 202226Hugo Soares3 July 2022presentLuís Montenegro

References