The ODRP is currently carrying out “The Portuguese Candidate Survey to the 2022 Legislative Elections (elected and non-elected)”, which aims to study the parliamentary political representation in Portugal.

In particular, this study, which constitutes the 6th edition, has two main objectives. First, to describe how patterns of political representation have changed over time, analyzing how the links between citizens and their representatives have evolved since the 2008 crisis and the implementation of the austerity policies that followed especially in Portugal and in other Southern European countries, also including the context of the COVID19 pandemic. Second, to analyze the processes of party misalignment (or realignment) according to several dimensions, especially in the electoral arena.

This survey is preceded by homologous studies carried out following the Portuguese legislative elections of 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2019, which will allow a longitudinal analysis of the data collected.

The current study is part of five international research networks, from which we highlight the Comparative Candidates Survey (CCS) based at the University of Mannheim, Germany. This international research network includes more than 28 countries, in which this candidate survey is being applied, which will allow an exhaustive and comparative analysis of the role of political representation in different countries. The possibility of a longitudinal analysis with an international scope allows this study to gather unique characteristics to better understand the electoral process and the formation of the government in Portugal and in other countries, the process of renewing democracy and political representation and the impact of the economic crisis on these processes.

Coordinator:
Professor Doutor André Freire

Research Fellows:
Viriato Queiroga
Livino Neto