2025 Setúbal local election
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All 11 Councillors in the Setúbal City Council 6 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2025 Setúbal local election will be held in 12 October 2025 to elect the members for Setúbal City Council, Setúbal Municipal Assembly and the city's 5 parish assemblies.
Incumbent Mayor André Martins, from the Unitary Democratic Coalition, is running for a second term, facing a tough challenge from Fernando José, from the Socialist Party, and former Mayor Maria das Dores Meira, who was elected as part of the CDU and is supported now by the PSD and the CDS–PP, while former PSD MP Lina Lopes is running as the CHEGA candidate.[1] On 18 August 2025, the last date to submit lists to the election, CHEGA candidate Lina Lopes dropped out from the race.[2] Following this, the party nominated António Cachaço as the new mayoral candidate.[3]
Background
In the 2021 local election, André Martins, from the Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU), was elected for the first time as Mayor of Setúbal, replacing outgoing Mayor Maria das Dores Meira, also from the CDU. The CDU got 34.4% of the votes and elected 5 seats to the city council, thus losing it's absolute majority, beating the Socialist Party (PS) candidate Fernando José, who got 27.7% of the votes and 4 seats, while the Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate Fernando Negrão got 16.6% of the votes and elected 2 seats.[4]
Electoral system
Each party or coalition must present a list of candidates. The winner of the most voted list for the municipal council is automatically elected mayor, similar to first-past-the-post (FPTP). The lists are closed and the seats in each municipality are apportioned according to the D'Hondt method. Unlike in national legislative elections, independent lists are allowed to run.[5][6]
Parties and candidates
| Party/Coalition | Political position |
Candidate | 2021 result | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes (%) | Seats | ||||||
| CDU | Unitary Democratic Coalition Coligação Democrática Unitária PCP, PEV |
Left-wing to far-left |
André Martins | 34.4% | 5 / 11
|
[7] | |
| PS | Socialist Party Partido Socialista |
Center-left | Fernando José | 27.7% | 4 / 11
|
[8] | |
| SDV | Setúbal Back[a] Setúbal de Volta |
Syncretic | Maria das Dores Meira | 18.3%[b] | 2 / 11
|
[9][10] | |
| CH | Enough! Chega! |
Far-right | António Cachaço | 5.9% | 0 / 11
|
[11][2][3] | |
| BE | Left Bloc Bloco de Esquerda |
Left-wing to far-left |
Daniela Rodrigues | 4.2% | 0 / 11
|
[12] | |
| IL | Liberal Initiative Iniciativa Liberal |
Center-right to right-wing |
Flávio Lança | 2.3% | 0 / 11
|
[13] | |
| L | FREE LIVRE |
Left-wing | André Dias | — | — | [14] | |
Opinion polling
| Polling firm/Link | Fieldwork date | Sample size | CDU | PS | SDV | CH | BE | IL | PAN | L | O | Lead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSD | CDS | ||||||||||||
| 2025 Legislative election | 18 May 2025 | — | 5.9 (0) |
24.1 (4) |
22.5 (3) |
27.3 (4) |
2.7 (0) |
5.7 (0) |
1.9 (0) |
5.6 (0) |
4.3 (0) |
3.2 | |
| 2024 EP election | 9 Jun 2024 | — | 8.5 (1) |
32.6 (5) |
21.9 (3) |
11.6 (1) |
5.9 (0) |
9.6 (1) |
1.6 (0) |
4.6 (0) |
3.7 (0) |
10.7 | |
| 2024 Legislative election | 10 Mar 2024 | — | 6.5 (1) |
29.9 (4) |
18.7 (2) |
20.8 (3) |
6.5 (1) |
5.6 (0) |
2.6 (0) |
4.3 (0) |
5.1 (0) |
9.1 | |
| 2022 Legislative election | 30 Jan 2022 | — | 8.7 (1) |
44.6 (7) |
18.0 (2) |
1.2 (0) |
9.0 (1) |
6.2 (0) |
5.5 (0) |
2.0 (0) |
1.4 (0) |
3.4 (0) |
26.6 |
| 2021 local election | 26 Sep 2021 | — | 34.4 5 |
27.7 4 |
16.6 2 |
1.7 0 |
5.9 0 |
4.2 0 |
2.3 0 |
2.3 0 |
— | 4.9 0 |
6.7 |
Notes
- ^ a b Supported by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP).
- ^ a b In the 2021 election, the PSD had 2 seats and 16.6% of the votes, while CDS had 1.7% and failed to elect any seats.
References
- ^ "Uma independente, ausência do PSD e ascensão do Chega. Uma das maiores câmaras do país vai ter uma eleição inédita". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b "Candidata apoiada pelo Chega retira candidatura à Câmara de Setúbal". Sábado (in Portuguese). 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ^ a b "Chega apresenta António Cachaço para Setúbal após desistência de Lina Lopes". Expresso (in Portuguese). 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ^ "André Martins garante CDU na Câmara Municipal de Setúbal com maioria relativa - O Setubalense". osetubalense.com (in European Portuguese). 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "::: Lei n.º 169/99, de 18 de Setembro". www.pgdlisboa.pt. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
- ^ "Eleição dos titulares dos órgãos das autarquias locais" (in Portuguese). Diário da República. 14 August 2001. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ "André Martins recandidata-se pela CDU à Câmara de Setúbal com Maria Helena de Mattos como mandatária [corrigida] - O Setubalense". osetubalense.com (in European Portuguese). 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Cunha, Mariana Lima. "Vereador Fernando José será candidato do PS à Câmara de Setúbal". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Maria das Dores Meira anuncia candidatura independente à Câmara de Setúbal". Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Ralha, Leonardo (2025-07-15). "Dores Meira agradece apoio do PSD mas recusa "interferências partidárias" na candidatura à Câmara de Setúbal". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Figueiredo, Inês André. "Ex-deputada do PSD próxima de Rui Rio é candidata pelo Chega a Setúbal". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Historiadora Daniela Rodrigues é a escolha do BE para a Câmara de Setúbal - O Setubalense" (in European Portuguese). 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- ^ "Iniciativa Liberal elege Flávio Lança como candidato à Câmara de Setúbal - O Setubalense". osetubalense.com (in European Portuguese). 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ LIVRE, Administrador LIVRE Administrador (2025-07-17). "Resultados provisórios da 2ª Ronda da Primárias Abertas – Eleições Autárquicas 2025". LIVRE (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-31.