1953 Portuguese legislative election

Portuguese legislative election, 1953

8 November 1953
120 seats to the National Assembly 60 seats needed for a majority
First party   Leader António de Oliveira Salazar Party UN Last election 120 seats Seats won 120 Seat change 0
Prime Minister before election António de Oliveira Salazar UN Prime Minister-elect António de Oliveira Salazar UN

Parliamentary elections were held in Portugal on 8 November 1953. The ruling National Union won all 120 seats.

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.

Voters could delete names from the lists of candidates, but could not replace them. 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.

Campaign

The opposition to the Estado Novo, consisting of anti-communist liberals, republicans and intellectuals, presented three lists with a total of 28 candidates in Lisbon, Oporto and Aveiro. The elections were boycotted by the National Democratic Movement and the Youth Movement for Democratic Union in protest at a lack of freedom, whilst monarchists boycotted the elections except in cases where a National Union candidate was a known royalist.

Results

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #002E79;" data-sort-value="National Union (Portugal)" |

 Summary of the 8 November 1953 National Assembly elections results

Parties		Votes	%	±	Seats
					1949	1953	±	%	±
UN				120	120	0	100.00	0.0
	Opposition lists				0	0	0	0.00	0
Total valid		'	'	—	120	120	0	100.00	0.0
Invalid/Blank ballots
Total		845,281	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,239,504	68.20	7.6
Source: Nohlen & Stöver