1957 Portuguese legislative election

1957 Portuguese National Assembly election

← 1953 3 November 1957 1961 →

120 seats to the National Assembly
61 seats needed for a majority
  First party
 
Oliveira Salazar, retratado por San Payo (Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa, MNV001514).png
Leader António de Oliveira Salazar
Party UN
Last election 120 seats
Seats won 120
Seat change Steady
Popular vote 911,618
Percentage 100.0%
Swing Steady

Prime Minister before election

António de Oliveira Salazar
UN

Prime Minister after election

António de Oliveira Salazar
UN

Parliamentary elections were held in Portugal on 3 November 1957.[1] The ruling National Union won all 120 seats.[2]

Electoral system

The elections were held using 21 multi-member constituencies and one single-member constituency covering the Azores, together electing a total of 120 members, 13 of which were from Portuguese colonies.[3]

Voters could delete names from the lists of candidates, but could not replace them.[3] Suffrage was given to all men aged 21 or over as long as they were literate or paid over 100 escudos in taxation, and to women aged over 21 if they had completed secondary education, or if they were the head of a household and met the same literacy and tax criteria as men.[3]

Campaign

Although the majority of the opposition to the Estado Novo regime boycotted the election in protest at the lack of a free vote, a total of 34 opposition candidates attempted to register for the elections, 12 in Lisbon, 10 in Oporto, six in Aveiro and six in Braga.[2] The Lisbon candidates were rejected as their application was a day late, whilst the Oporto and Aveiro candidates withdrew after failing to receive a guarantee that they could observe vote counting.[2] Only the six candidates in Braga ultimately contested the election.[2]

Results

Party Votes % Seats
National Union 120
Opposition lists 0
Invalid/blank votes
Total 911,618 100 120
Registered voters/turnout 1,294,368 70.4
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

References

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1542 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ a b c d "Portuguese Election Government Candidates Win Every Seat" The Times, 4 November 1957, p9, Issue 53989
  3. ^ a b c Nohlen & Stöver, p1535

See also