Political centrism in Portugal: evolution of the party system, genesis of the Central Bloc and analysis of the two parties in coalition

Abstract

Written before the end of the PS/PSD coalition that made possible the 9^th constitutional government, this article maintains that the formation of the «central bloc» and its eventual success or failure would be due to the combination of a certain number of factors (the different political-party strategies put into practice after 1974, the specific characteristics of each partner in the coalition and the results of the legislative elections in 1983. In the first part the author enunciates the successive strategies of the Portuguese parties and the resulting configuration of the party system, from 1974 up to the implementation of the political centrism. In the second part the beginning of the PS/PSD coalition is analysed and one shows the main factors underlying the constitution of the «central bloc». In the third part the two partners in the coalition are seen under a comparative erspective as to the respective origin and formation, programme groundings, organic and functional structure, social basis of support and elite composition.