1986 Portuguese presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Portugal on 26 January 1986, with a second round on 16 February.

This was closest presidential election ever held in Portugal and was won by the Socialist Mário Soares, who initially had no more than 8 percent in opinion polls.

The first round was easily won by Freitas do Amaral, supported by all the right-wing parties. Soares advanced to the second round by beating the other two left-wing candidates: former Prime-Minister Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, the first woman to be a candidate for the Portuguese presidency, and Salgado Zenha (supported by outgoing president António Ramalho Eanes, founder of the short-lived Democratic Renewal Party, and by the Portuguese Communist Party, whose candidate, Ângelo Veloso, left the race some days before the poll From 1986 until 2006, the PS supported candidates won every presidential election in Portugal.

For 40 years this would be the only time a direct Portuguese presidential election was decided in a runoff, until 2026.

Electoral system

Any Portuguese citizen over 35 years old has the opportunity to run for president. In order to do so it is necessary to gather between 7,500 and 15,000 signatures and submit them to the Portuguese Constitutional Court.

According to the Portuguese Constitution, a candidate needs a majority of votes to become elected. If no candidate gets this majority a second round will take place between the two most voted candidates.

Candidates

Official candidates

Advanced to runoff

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! colspan="2" |Candidate

!Party support

!Political office(s)

! style="max-width:20em;" |Details

|Mário Soares (61)

|117x117px

| align="left" |

|Prime Minister (1976–1978; 1983–1985) Secretary-general of the Socialist Party (1973–1985) Minister without portfolio (1975) Minister of Foreign Affairs (1974–1975) Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1975–1986)

|Socialist Party (PS) founder; lawyer.

|Diogo Freitas do Amaral (44)

| align="left" |

|Deputy Prime Minister (1980–1981; 1981–1983) Minister of National Defence (1981–1983) Minister of Foreign Affairs (1980–1981) President of the Democratic and Social Center (1974–1983) Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1975–1983)

|Democratic and Social Center (CDS) founder; university professor.

Eliminated in first round

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! colspan="2" |Candidate

!Party support

!Political office(s)

! style="max-width:20em;" |Details

|Francisco Salgado Zenha (62)

| align="left" |

|Minister of Finance (1975–1976) Minister of Justice (1974–1975) President of the Socialist Party's parliamentary group (1976–1983) Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1975–1983)

|Independent, former Socialist Party (PS) founding member; lawyer; endorsed by President António Ramalho Eanes.

|Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo (56)

| align="left" |

|Prime Minister (1979–1980) Minister of Social Affairs (1974–1975) Secretary of State for Social Security (1974) Member of the Corporative Chamber (1969–1974)

|Independent; engineer.

Withdrew candidacy

Ângelo Veloso – incumbent Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1975–1990); supported by the Portuguese Communist Party, left the race to support Salgado Zenha;
Manuel da Costa Braz – former Minister of Home Affairs (1974–1975; 1976–1978; 1979–1980); former Ombudsman (1975–1976).

Unsuccessful candidacies

There were also three candidates rejected by the Portuguese Constitutional Court for not complying with the legal requirements:

Carmelinda Pereira – former Member of the Assembly of the Republic (1975–1979); supported by the Workers' Party of Socialist Unity;
Luís Carlos Franco;
Álvaro Manuel Nunes.

File:Carmelinda Pereira.jpg|Carmelinda Pereira

</gallery>

Declined

Mário Firmino Miguel – general officer, former Defense Minister in 1974 and between 1976 and 1978;
Daniel Proença de Carvalho – lawyer, former Minister of Social Communication between 1978 and 1979, RTP Chairman between 1980 and 1982. Later became campaign manager for Diogo Freitas do Amaral.

Campaign period

Issues

thumb|Freitas do Amaral campaign headquarters in [[Lisbon.]]

thumb|Soares on the campaign trail in [[Vila Nova de Foz Côa.]]

The 1986 presidential campaign was one of the most polarizing in Portugal's democratic history. The center-right/right-wing presented a unified candidate, Diogo Freitas do Amaral, while the center-left/left-wing was divided between three candidates: Soares, Salgado Zenha and Pintasilgo. Soares' unpopularity during his term as prime minister, between 1983 and 1985, when several austerity policies were inacted because of the IMF bailout leading to one of the worst social crises in Portuguese democracy, plus the long feud between Soares and the Portuguese Communist Party, created a deep divide on the left. Soares' candidacy was further damaged by divisions within the Socialist Party, with his longtime friend and party ally Francisco Salgado Zenha announcing his candidacy with the support of outgoing president António Ramalho Eanes, and later also with the support from the Communists. The tensions on the left side of the political spectrum reached a breaking point on 15 January 1986, when Soares was violently assaulted by Communist supporters in Marinha Grande, a moment that was seen as a turning point in favour of Soares.

On the first round, held on 26 January, Freitas and Soares advanced to a runoff. Soares' passage to the runoff created a dilemma for the Communist Party, taking into account the acrimonious relationship between both. Despite this background, the Communists decided to support Soares in the runoff, with party leader Álvaro Cunhal saying "if necessary, cover [Soares'] face on the ballot with one hand and vote with the other". while Soares accused Freitas of lack of political awareness before the 25 April 1974 revolution, pointing that Freitas "showed solidarity through silence" for the Estado Novo regime.

| bgcolor="#0093DD"|

| Diogo Freitas do Amaral

| « Está na hora! » « Prá Frente Portugal! »

| "It's time!" "Go Forward Portugal!"

| bgcolor="#216b31"|

| Francisco Salgado Zenha

| « Justiça e tolerância, confiança no futuro »

| "Justice and tolerance, confidence in the future"

| bgcolor="#613484"|

| Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo

| « A coragem da decisão »

| "The courage of the decision"

Candidates' debates

First round

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:98%; text-align:center;"

! colspan="21"| 1986 Portuguese presidential election debates

! rowspan="3"| Date

! rowspan="3"| Organisers

! rowspan="3"| Moderator(s)

! colspan="18"|

! scope="col" style="width:5em;"| Soares

! scope="col" style="width:5em;"| Freitas

! scope="col" style="width:5em;"| Zenha

! scope="col" style="width:5em;"| Pintasilgo

! rowspan="2"| Refs

! style="background:;"|

! style="background:#0093DD;"|

! style="background:#216b31;"|

! style="background:#613484;"|

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| 17 Dec 1985

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| RTP1

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| Margarida Marante

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| 19 Dec 1985

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| RTP1

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| Miguel Sousa Tavares

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| 26 Dec 1985

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| RTP1

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| Miguel Sousa Tavares

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| 2 Jan 1986

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| RTP1

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| Miguel Sousa Tavares

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| 7 Jan 1986

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| RTP1

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| Margarida Marante

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| 9 Jan 1986

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| RTP1

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| Miguel Sousa Tavares

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

| style="background:#FFD0D0;"|N

Second round

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:98%; text-align:center;"

! colspan="21"| 1986 Portuguese presidential election debates

! rowspan="3"| Date

! rowspan="3"| Organisers

! rowspan="3"| Moderator(s)

! colspan="16"|

! scope="col" style="width:5em;"| Soares

! scope="col" style="width:5em;"| Freitas

! rowspan="2"| Refs

! style="background:;"|

! style="background:#0093DD;"|

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| 4 Feb 1986

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| RTP1

| style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;"| Margarida Marante Miguel Sousa Tavares

| style="background:#D0FFD0;"|P

Endorsements

{| class="wikitable nowrap sortable"

|+Endorsements from first-round candidates

! colspan="2" | First-round candidate

! First round

! colspan="2" | Endorsement

| style="background-color: #216b31;" |

| Francisco Salgado Zenha

| 20.88%

| style="background-color: ;" |

|Mário Soares

| style="background-color: #613484;" |

| Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo

| 7.38%

| style="background-color: #FFABFF;" |

|Against Freitas do Amaral

Party endorsements in the second round

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" |Candidate

! colspan="2" |Parties

!Ref.

| rowspan="2" style="background-color: ;" |

| rowspan="2" |Diogo Freitas do Amaral

| style="background-color: ;" |

| CDS

| style="background-color: ;" |

|PRD

Opinion polls

First round

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible sortable sticky-header-multi" style="text-align:center;font-size:95%;line-height:16px;"

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:120px;"|Polling firm

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:150px;"|Fieldwork date

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" |Sample size

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |Lead

! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |

! style="background:;"|

! style="background:#216B31;"|

! style="background:#613484;"|

| colspan="9" style="background:#A0A0A0"|

|- style="background:#EFEFEF;"

| Election results

| 26 Jan 1986

| |46.3

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" | 25.4

| 20.9

| 7.4

| style="background:; color:white;"|20.9

| colspan="9" style="background:#A0A0A0"|

|style="background:#EAFFEA" | Ministry of Justice

| style="background:; color:white;"|20.0

|ZAP

|28–29 Dec 1985

|830

| |42.3

|17.7

| style="background:#D0F0C070"|23.3

|16.7

| style="background:; color:white;"|19.0

|Euroexpansão

|27 Dec 1985–5 Jan 1986

|2,237

| | 42.5

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |21.5

|15.0

|21.0

| style="background:; color:white;"|21.0

|Norma

|19–23 Dec 1985

|607

| |31.2

|12.1

|10.8

| style="background:#b09fbd50" |22.4

|23.2

| style="background:; color:white;"|8.8

| Norma

| 23 Nov 1985

| ?

| | 38.7

| 8.3

| 16.3

| style="background:#b09fbd50" | 22.8

| 13.9

| style="background:; color:white;"| 15.9

|Marktest

|26–27 Oct 1985

|430

| |29

|17

| style="background:#b09fbd50" |24

|30

| style="background:; color:white;"|5

|Norma

|9–17 Oct 1985

|604

| style="background:#c1e2f850" |22.8

|19.6

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|35.7

|21.9

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|12.9

| Norma

| 10–16 May 1985

| 598

| | 33.4

| 12.9

| style="background:#b09fbd50" | 24.1

| 29.7

| style="background:; color:white;"| 9.3

| rowspan="2" |Norma

| rowspan="2" |Apr 1985

| rowspan="2" | ?

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |13.6

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|25.5

|60.9

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|11.9

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |13.8

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|25.4

|60.8

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|11.6

|Marktest

|1–6 Feb 1985

| ?

| style="background:#c1e2f850" |11

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|27

|54

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|16

| rowspan="2" |Norma

| rowspan="2" |14–21 Jan 1985

| rowspan="2" | ?

|11.1

|1.7

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|25.0

|62.6

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|11.1

|9.9

|3.7

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|26.4

|60.0

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|13.2

| rowspan="2" |Norma

| rowspan="2" |13–21 Dec 1984

| rowspan="2" | ?

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |16.5

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|26.8

|56.7

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|10.3

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |17.2

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|25.7

|57.0

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|8.5

|Marktest

|9–12 Nov 1984

| ?

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |13.0

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|23.6

|63.4

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|10.6

| rowspan="2" |Norma

| rowspan="2" |Nov 1984

| rowspan="2" | ?

|12.4

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|22.5

|65.1

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|7.3

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |12.0

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|22.5

|65.5

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|10.5

|Euroexpansão

|19–25 Oct 1984

|816

|9.4

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |14.6

|2.6

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|21.5

|51.9

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|6.9

|Norma

|4–15 Oct 1984

| ?

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |14.4

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|15.4

|70.2

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|1.0

|Marktest

|Oct 1984

| ?

|12

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |13

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|21

|53

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|8

|Marktest

|Sep 1984

| ?

|10

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |13

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|20

|55

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|7

|Norma

|27 Aug–3 Sep 1984

|605

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |8.2

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|18.0

|73.8

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|9.8

|Marktest

|Aug 1984

| ?

| style="background:#c1e2f850" |11

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |11

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|19

|56

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|8

|Norma

|Jul 1984

| ?

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |10.3

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|22.3

|67.4

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|12.0

|Marktest

|Jul 1984

| ?

| style="background:#c1e2f850" |13

|12

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|23

|49

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|10

|Norma

|Jun 1984

| ?

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |12.4

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|22.0

|65.6

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|9.6

|Marktest

|8–15 Jun 1984

| ?

| style="background:#c1e2f850" |13

|11

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|24

|50

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|11

|Norma

|May 1984

| ?

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |13.8

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|26.2

|60.0

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|12.4

|Marktest

|Mar 1984

| ?

| style="background:#c1e2f850" |12

|10

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|20

|42

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|8

|Marktest

|4–7 Feb 1984

| ?

|10.5

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |12.8

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|16.9

|59.8

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|4.1

|Damião de Gois

|Dec 1983–Feb 1984

| ?

| style="background:#c1e2f850" |13.8

|12.6

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|22.2

|51.4

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|8.4

|Marktest

|Jan 1984

| ?

|10.5

| style="background:#FFCBFF50" |12.8

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|16.9

|59.8

| style="background:#613484; color:white;"|4.1

Second round

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible sortable sticky-header-multi" style="text-align:center;font-size:95%;line-height:16px;"

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:120px;"|Polling firm

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:150px;" |Fieldwork date

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:45px;" |Sample size

! class="unsortable" width="55px" |Freitas

! class="unsortable" width="55px" |Soares

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |Lead

|- style="height:20px;"

! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |

! style="background:;" |

| colspan="6" style="background:#A0A0A0" |

|- style="background:#EFEFEF;"

| Election results

| 16 Feb 1986

| 48.8

| |51.2

| style="background:; color:white;"|2.4

| colspan="6" style="background:#A0A0A0" |

|- style="background:#EAFFEA"

|Ministry of Justice

|16 Feb 1986

|48.7

| |51.3

| style="background:; color:white;"|2.6

|- style="background:#EAFFEA"

| RTP

| 16 Feb 1986

| 48–50

| | 50–52

| style="background:; color:white;"| 2

|Norma

|1 Feb 1986

| ?

| |52.6

|47.4

| style="background:; color:white;"|5.2

|ZAP

|28–29 Dec 1985

|830

| |60.3

|39.7

| style="background:; color:white;"|20.6

|Euroexpansão

|27 Dec 1985–5 Jan 1986

|2,237

| |58.8

|41.2

| style="background:; color:white;"|17.6

|Norma

|19–23 Dec 1985

|607

| |58.7

|41.3

| style="background:; color:white;"| 17.4

| Norma

| 10–16 May 1985

| 598

| | 66.7

| 33.3

| style="background:; color:white;"| 33.4

| Norma

| Apr 1985

| ?

| | 50.9

| 49.1

| style="background:; color:white;"| 1.8

{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;font-size:95%;line-height:16px;"

! rowspan="3" |Polling firm

! rowspan="3" |Date conducted

! rowspan="3" |Sample size

! rowspan="3" class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" | /

! rowspan="3" |Lead

! class="unsortable" style="width:30px;" |

! style="background:;" |

! style="background:#216B31;" |

! style="background:#613484;" |

! style="background:;" |

! style="background:#777777;" |

! style="background:;" |

| rowspan="2" |ZAP

| rowspan="2" |28–29 Dec 1985

| rowspan="2" |830

| |54.4

|45.6

| style="background:; color:white;" |8.8

| |55.1

|44.9

| style="background:; color:white;" |10.2

| rowspan="5" |Euroexpansão

| rowspan="5" |27 Dec 1985–5 Jan 1986

| rowspan="5" |2,237

| |57.8

|42.2

| style="background:; color:white;" |15.6

| |52.7

|47.3

| style="background:; color:white;" |5.4

| |59.9

|40.1

| style="background:; color:white;" |19.8

| |52.7

|47.3

| style="background:; color:white;" |5.4

|44.3

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|55.7

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |11.4

| rowspan="5" |Norma

| rowspan="5" |19–23 Dec 1985

| rowspan="5" |607

| |31.7

|28.8

|39.5

| style="background:; color:white;" |2.9

|30.2

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|38.3

|31.5

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |8.1

| |44.1

|30.2

|25.7

| style="background:; color:white;" |13.9

| |40.4

|39.4

|20.2

| style="background:; color:white;" |1.0

|18.4

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|37.5

|44.1

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |19.1

|Marktest

|26–27 Oct 1985

|430

|35

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|39

|26

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |4

| rowspan="2" |Norma

| rowspan="2" |9–17 Oct 1985

| rowspan="2" |604

|26.7

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|44.3

|29.0

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |17.6

|27.1

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|48.6

|24.3

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |21.5

| rowspan="2" |Norma

| rowspan="2" |10–16 May 1985

| rowspan="2" |598

|31.6

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|31.7

|36.7

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |0.1

| |41.2

|33.6

|25.2

| style="background:; color:white;" |7.6

| rowspan="3" |Norma

| rowspan="3" |Apr 1985

| rowspan="3" | ?

|21.1

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|31.0

|47.9

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |9.9

|23.2

| |23.6

|53.2

| style="background:; color:white;" |0.4

| |21.2

|17.8

|61.0

| style="background:; color:white;" |3.4

| rowspan="2" |Euroexpansão

| rowspan="2" |19–25 Oct 1984

| rowspan="2" |816

| |34.0

|23.6

|42.4

| style="background:; color:white;" |10.4

|27.9

| |31.8

|40.3

| style="background:; color:white;" |3.9

|Marktest

|8–15 Jun 1984

| ?

|35

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|43

|22

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |8

|Marktest

|Mar 1984

| ?

|24

| style="background:#b09fbd;"|45

|31

| style="background:#613484; color:white;" |21

Results

National summary

Results by district

First round

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right; font-size:95%"

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | District

! colspan="2" | Freitas

! colspan="2" | Soares

! colspan="2" | Zenha

! colspan="2" | Pintasilgo

! rowspan="2" | Turnout

! Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Aveiro

| ; color:#000;" | 200,008

| ; color:#000;" | 57.00%

| 102,684

| 29.26%

| 30,868

| 8.80%

| 17,345

| 4.94%

| 76.06%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Azores

| ; color:#000;" | 61,274

| ; color:#000;" | 58.57%

| 32,841

| 26.23%

| 8,235

| 6.94%

| 4,586

| 3.87%

| 61.50%

| style="background:#216b31;"|  

| style="text-align:left;" | Beja

| 22,648

| 21.30%

| 19,347

| 18.19%

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 58,233

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 54.76%

| 6,117

| 5.75%

| 71.58%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Braga

| ; color:#000;" | 206,747

| ; color:#000;" | 52.74%

| 112,263

| 28.64%

| 52,751

| 13.46%

| 20,218

| 5.16%

| 78.95%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Bragança

| ; color:#000;" | 60,868

| ; color:#000;" | 66.02%

| 22,972

| 24.92%

| 6,125

| 6.64%

| 2,234

| 2.42%

| 66.29%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Castelo Branco

| ; color:#000;" | 72,295

| ; color:#000;" | 53.00%

| 31,812

| 23.32%

| 24,671

| 18.09%

| 7,638

| 5.60%

| 72.77%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Coimbra

| ; color:#000;" | 113,913

| ; color:#000;" | 46.12%

| 78,894

| 32.23%

| 33,429

| 13.66%

| 19,570

| 7.99%

| 71.39%

| style="background:#216b31;"|  

| style="text-align:left;" | Évora

| 31,613

| 27.71%

| 15,734

| 13.79%

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 60,061

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 52.65%

| 6,665

| 5.84%

| 78.88%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Faro

| ; color:#000;" | 77,570

| ; color:#000;" | 40.57%

| 51,410

| 26.89%

| 48,564

| 25.40%

| 13.644

| 7.14%

| 73.25%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Guarda

| ; color:#000;" | 71,902

| ; color:#000;" | 62.94%

| 29,625

| 25.93%

| 9,007

| 7.88%

| 3,704

| 3.24%

| 69.85%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Leiria

| ; color:#000;" | 145,554

| ; color:#000;" | 60.26%

| 55,653

| 23.04%

| 26,816

| 11.10%

| 13,525

| 5.60%

| 74.48%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Lisbon

| ; color:#000;" | 512,158

| ; color:#000;" | 39.91%

| 296,395

| 23.09%

| 338,470

| 26.37%

| 136,397

| 10.63%

| 78.45%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Madeira

| ; color:#000;" | 74,688

| ; color:#000;" | 62.96%

| 31,123

| 26.23%

| 8,235

| 6.94%

| 4,586

| 3.87%

| 69.34%

| style="background:#216b31;"|  

| style="text-align:left;" | Portalegre

| 28,961

| 32.42%

| 22,024

| 24.66%

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 33,137

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 37.10%

| 5,196

| 5.82%

| 78.05%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Porto

| ; color:#000;" | 413,407

| ; color:#000;" | 45.17%

| 284,250

| 31.06%

| 152,919

| 16.71%

| 64,566

| 7.06%

| 79.05%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Santarém

| ; color:#000;" | 117,657

| ; color:#000;" | 43.10%

| 61,661

| 22.59%

| 68,133

| 24.96%

| 25,522

| 9.35%

| 75.99%

| style="background:#216b31;"|  

| style="text-align:left;" | Setúbal

| 104,122

| 25.23%

| 72,116

| 17.47%

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 187,907

| style="background:#D0F0C0; color:#000;" | 45.53%

| 48,600

| 11.77%

| 79.07%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Viana do Castelo

| ; color:#000;" | 81,815

| ; color:#000;" | 58.92%

| 32,869

| 23.64%

| 14,702

| 10.59%

| 9,506

| 6.85%

| 72.01%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Vila Real

| ; color:#000;" | 84,459

| ; color:#000;" | 63.73%

| 35,050

| 26.45%

| 9,362

| 7.06%

| 3,655

| 2.76%

| 68.59%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Viseu

| ; color:#000;" | 147,519

| ; color:#000;" | 66.20%

| 54,344

| 24.39%

| 14,378

| 6.45%

| 6,584

| 2.95%

| 70.18%

|- class="sortbottom"

| colspan="11" style="text-align:left;" | Source: SGMAI Presidential Election Results

Second round

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right; font-size:95%"

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | District

! colspan="2" | Soares

! colspan="2" | Freitas

! rowspan="2" | Turnout

! Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Aveiro

| 152,472

| 41.21%

| ; color:#000;" | 217,352

| ; color:#000;" | 58.79%

| 79.95%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Azores

| 44,464

| 40.55%

| ; color:#000;" | 65,177

| ; color:#000;" | 59.45%

| 79.95%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Beja

| ; color:#000;" | 82,278

| ; color:#000;" | 75.98%

| 26,015

| 24.02%

| 72.76%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Braga

| 190,746

| 46.42%

| ; color:#000;" | 220,150

| ; color:#000;" | 53.58%

| 82.77%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Bragança

| 32,196

| 32.28%

| ; color:#000;" | 67,531

| ; color:#000;" | 67.72%

| 72.40%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Castelo Branco

| 65,986

| 45.66%

| ; color:#000;" | 78,534

| ; color:#000;" | 54.34%

| 76.37%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Coimbra

| ; color:#000;" | 137,735

| ; color:#000;" | 52.79%

| 123,192

| 47.21%

| 76.01%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Évora

| ; color:#000;" | 79,552

| ; color:#000;" | 69.49%

| 34,920

| 30.51%

| 79.37%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Faro

| ; color:#000;" | 113,089

| ; color:#000;" | 56.81%

| 85,961

| 43.19%

| 75.50%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Guarda

| 44,187

| 36.10%

| ; color:#000;" | 78,217

| ; color:#000;" | 63.90%

| 74.93%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Leiria

| 94,791

| 37.29%

| ; color:#000;" | 159,401

| ; color:#000;" | 62.71%

| 78.16%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Lisbon

| ; color:#000;" | 736,144

| ; color:#000;" | 56.74%

| 561,189

| 43.26%

| 79.26%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Madeira

| 47,776

| 37.31%

| ; color:#000;" | 80,290

| ; color:#000;" | 62.69%

| 74.22%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Portalegre

| ; color:#000;" | 59,550

| ; color:#000;" | 65.25%

| 31,712

| 34.75%

| 79.68%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Porto

| ; color:#000;" | 510,335

| ; color:#000;" | 53.53%

| 443,050

| 46.47%

| 82.24%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Santarém

| ; color:#000;" | 153,084

| ; color:#000;" | 54.33%

| 128,675

| 45.67%

| 77.95%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Setúbal

| ; color:#000;" | 289,199

| ; color:#000;" | 70.88%

| 118,790

| 29.12%

| 78.44%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Viana do Castelo

| 56,176

| 38.41%

| ; color:#000;" | 90,094

| ; color:#000;" | 61.59%

| 75.33%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Vila Real

| 49,210

| 34.72%

| ; color:#000;" | 92,505

| ; color:#000;" | 65.28%

| 73.05%

! style="background:;" |  

| style="text-align:left;" | Viseu

| 76,380

| 32.07%

| ; color:#000;" | 161,793

| ; color:#000;" | 67.93%

| 75.15%

|- class="sortbottom"

| colspan="11" style="text-align:left;" | Source: SGMAI Presidential Election Results

Maps

Eleições presidenciais 1986 Portugal - primeira volta.png|Most voted candidate by district - 1st Round.

Eleições presidenciais 1986 Portugal - segunda volta.png|Most voted candidate by district - 2nd Round.

Eleições presidenciais portuguesas de 1986 (1.ª Volta).png|Strongest candidate by municipality - 1st Round.

Eleições presidenciais portuguesas de 1986 (2.ª Volta).png|Strongest candidate by municipality - 2nd Round.

1986 Portuguese presidential election

Electoral system

Candidates

Official candidates

Advanced to runoff

Eliminated in first round

Withdrew candidacy

Unsuccessful candidacies

Declined

Campaign period

Issues

Candidates' debates

First round

Second round

Endorsements

Party endorsements in the second round

Opinion polls

First round

Second round

Results

National summary

Results by district

First round

Second round

Maps

Notes

References

External links