The latest CIES e-Working Paper, entitled “The transformation of votes into mandates: The Portuguese electoral system under analysis”, by the researcher João Santos.
Abstract
The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the April Revolution has been favorable to the carrying out of a series of balances regarding the defining elements of Portuguese democracy. In this sense, the present Working Paper characterizes the Portuguese electoral system and evaluates its performance throughout its almost half-century of existence. The electoral system’s performance was measured by defining three key dimensions: proportionality, governability, and quality of representation. We conclude that governability is the indicator that has registered the best performance, with the eradication of problems related to the formation and maintenance of executives since 1987. Electoral disproportionality, on the other hand, has been growing over the years as a result of the institutional design decided on by the legislator, which penalizes small parties. Even so, it is in the quality of representation that the system fails most, making it difficult for deputies to be accountable to voters and discouraging constituency work. The research was supported by a historical perspective that allowed understanding the reasons behind the choice of the current electoral system.
