It is important to remember that Portugal did not achieve democracy on October 5, 1910. This date merely marked the first step on that long journey.
The “true” democratic state , as we know it today,only came into being after the April 25, 1974, Revolution.
On October 5, 1910, we transitioned from a monarchy to a republic, ending the rule of monarchs over our territory.
It was also on this date that we changed the flag, the national anthem, and the political system, which came to take the will of the people into account — or so it was thought.
Any election is a victory for democracy. Today , elections are free, and all citizens over the age of 18—regardless of gender or race—can vote, but this was not always the case.
In this article, we trace history and look back at three elections in 20th-century Lisbon to recall what voting was like in the past.
1908 Legislative Elections
Elections have not always been peaceful and orderly events. The legislative elections of April 5, 1908, for example, were turbulent and marked by violent clashes between the police, the municipal guard, and republican protesters, who demanded oversight of the ballot boxes.
Troops were summoned to the area around the D. Maria Theater and acted with extreme violence, specifically near the churches of S. Domingos de Alcântara and in Rossio. The riots left 14 dead, some of whom were shot by the Municipal Guard.
It should be recalled that, earlier that year, King Carlos and Prince Luís Filipe had been assassinated, and the country’s political situation was highly unstable, with the Republicans gaining strength— a trend that would culminate in the proclamation of the Republic on October 5, 1910.
In the photo above, you can see messages written in blood by the people on a wall in Largo de São Domingos following police violence. Below, a guard stands watch over a ballot box at the Church of São Domingos.
In Rossio, in front of the D. Maria Theater, the Queen’s 2nd Lancers Cavalry Regiment was maintaining public order.
At the time, the Lisbon Cathedral also served as a polling place.
The Church of the Angels also served as a polling place, and in the photo above, you can see the throng of people waiting for the polls to open there.
1911 Legislative Elections
On May 28, 1911 , the first legislative elections following the proclamation of the Republic were held , although only in the districts of Lisbon and Porto. This was, therefore, the first election in the history of the Portuguese Republic.
In these elections , only literate citizens and heads of households over the age of 21 voted.
It was in these elections that the first Portuguese woman exercised her right to vote: Carolina Beatriz Ângelo, a doctor, widow, and head of her household, argued that there was an ambiguity in the law that did not effectively exclude women from the right to vote, and she sued in court to have her name added to the voter registry.
In the photos above, you can see the polling stations at Liceu Camões and also at the Church of Madalena. In these elections, 250,000 voters cast their ballots ( approximately 57% of the electorate).
1975 Constituent Assembly Elections
These may well be the most important elections in the history of Portuguese democracy, as they were the first free elections following April 25, 1974.
And the novelty wasn’t merely that the elections were free. The greatest novelty was that it was an electoral process open to everyone, regardless of gender, social class, education, profession, or generation.
In these elections, nearly seven million Portuguese went to the polls, from the north to the south of the country.
According to data from PORDATA from April 2013, these were the elections with the lowest abstention rate ever: only 8.5% of voters did not exercise their right to vote.
There were huge lines, there was excitement, and the people came together because they were finally able to freely elect their representatives. These were also the first elections in which women finally had the right to universal suffrage.
The PS received the most votes (38%), followed by the PPD (26.4%), PCP (12.5%), CDS (7.6%), MDP/CDE (4%), and UDP (0.7%), all of which were represented in parliament. The elections were held on April 25, 1975.
Don’t miss out! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and now on WhatsApp too !