Razia de Marques Mendes: by far, the worst result for a candidate supported by the PSD

At a time when television projections give Luís Marques Mendes a vote of 8 to 11% in this Sunday’s presidential election, it is already certain that the candidate supported by the PSD will give the party the worst result ever, far behind Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral’s 34.54% in 2001.

The PSD won 6 presidential elections, lost 4 — in most cases by a small difference. The exception is the 2001 election, in which the social democratic candidate, Joaquim Ferreira do Amaralwith 34.54% of the votes, was more than 20 points behind Jorge Sampaiowho won re-election with 55.76%.

In the first presidential elections in democracy, António Ramalho Eaneswho ran as an independent candidate, but supported by the then PPDwon the elections, with 61.59%. In 1980 he was re-elected, with 54.44%, beating the candidate supported by the PPD, António Soares Carneirowhich obtained 40.23% of the votes.

In the mythical 1986 elections, Diogo Freitas do Amaralsupported by the PPD/PSD, won the first round of the elections, with 46.13%. The famous comeback in the second round gave victory to Mario Soareswith 51.18%, against 48.82% for Freitas do Amaral.

Em 1991, supported by PSDMário Soares was re-elected with 70.35% of the votes. It was also a socialist, Jorge Sampaio, who won the 1996 elections, with 53.91%, against 46.09% for Aníbal Cavaco Silvawhich collected 46.09%.

Sampaio was re-elected in 2001, in the aforementioned election in which Ferreira do Amaral faced a battle with predictable outcome and gave the PSD its worst result — until this Sunday.

Five years later, in 2006, Cavaco Silva is elected president for the first time, with 50.64%, against Manuel Alegre’s 20.70% and the returned Mário Soares’ 14.35%. The social democrat repeated his victory in 2011, with 52.95%, against Manuel Alegre’s 19.76%.

The current President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousamaintained in 2016 the PSD hegemony in the last 20 years; he won the elections with 52.00%, against António Sampaio da Nóvoa’s 22.88%. He repeated the election in 2021, with 60.66%, against Ana Gomes’ 12.96%.

Luís Marques Mendes, who will have a vote in these presidential elections that, according to projections, will not reach 14% — very far from Ferreira do Amaral’s result, and much below the 31.21% with which the PSD won Legislative Elections took place a few months ago.

In his defeat speech, Marques Mendes took full responsibility for the negative result in the elections, and said that will not support any of the opponents to pass to the second round. “The responsibility is mine, all mine and mine alone”, stated the candidate supported by PSD and CDS-PP.

In Presidential Elections, whether the candidates are supported by a party or not, the Portuguese are asked to choose a personnot a party. It remains to be seen whether this clear defeat is for Luís Marques Mendes or the PSD — and for what reason the candidate who led in October.