1998 Portuguese regionalisation referendum

Background

The creation of administrative regions in mainland Portugal was an electoral promise of the Socialist Party (PS) in the 1995 legislative election campaign. By 1996, the newly elected leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, defended that regionalisation should be decided by a referendum, while Prime Minister António Guterres wasn't that supportive of the referendum idea. A poll, in April 1996, showed that 53 percent of voters wanted a referendum, with support for regionalisation being 49 percent in favour and 29 percent against.

In May 1996, a new administrative regions law, drafted by the PS and the Communist Party (PCP), was approved by Parliament, despite the boycott from PSD and People's Party (PP) members. A year later, in March 1997, PS and PSD signed a Constitutional review in which a referendum would always have to be mandatory for the creation of administrative regions. In the following year, 1998, Parliament voted on a proposed map to be put on referendum, with only PS and PCP presenting maps, while PSD and PP refused to enter in the debate. A consensus was reached between PS and PCP on the map, which proposed 8 administrative regions in mainland Portugal. A referendum was then called in September 1998 to be held on 8 November of the same year.

Party positions

The major parties in Portugal at the time listed with their political positioning and their official answer to the referendum question:

• Left
  • Portuguese Communist Party - YES
  • Ecologist Party "The Greens" - YES
  • Socialist Party - YES
• Right
  • Social Democratic Party - NO
  • People's Party - NO

Campaign

Issues

The Socialist Party campaigned strongly in favour of the YES vote, defending that regions would help to resolve territorial poverty in Portugal. On the other side, the Social Democrats rejected the proposed map by calling for a NO vote, warning that regionalisation would raise taxes and would just create political jobs.

Choices slogans

Results

Results by region

(Results for the second question by Region as proposed in the referendum.)

Notes

References

References

1. [[Dieter Nohlen]] & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1542 {{ISBN. 978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Nohlen & Stöver, p1551
3. (22 August 2019). "A regionalização que o PS prometeu e deixou cair".
4. (26 April 1996). "Posição de Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa e de António Guterres sobre a Regionalização".
5. (26 April 1996). "Sondagem sobre regionalização".
6. "Processo de criação e instituição das regiões administrativas.".
7. (4 July 2022). "Regionalização: os avanços e os recuos".
8. (8 November 2023). "Primeiro e único referendo à Regionalização aconteceu há 25 anos. Recorde o processo".
9. (18 October 1998). "Campanha do PS para o Referendo à Regionalização". RTP.
10. (18 October 1998). "PSD Contra a Regionalização". RTP.
11. "1998 - Referendo da regionalização". Ephemera.
12. (9 November 1998). "Reações ao referendo à regionalização". RTP.