Resumo

NUNES, Filipe. Second-tier elections in Portugal: the European elections of 2004 . Anál. Social [online]. 2005, n.177, pp.795-813. ISSN 0003-2573.

This article looks at the European elections of 2004 in the light of second-tier election theory. According to this model, higher abstention rates and better electoral performances from small and medium-sized parties are to be expected in this type of election. It is true that turnout in these elections continues to be low, but the performance of small parties in them does seem to be affected by the increasing trend towards two-party dominance in other elections. We have also confirmed that European elections operate as a sort of referendum on the government. Halfway through a parliamentary term, at a time when the economy was not doing well, parties which supported the government were clearly made to suffer. Moreover, the most significant factors affecting the 2004 European election results, apart from ideological positioning, were voters’ assessment of the government’s performance and the economic situation. Traditional social divisions are of little help in understanding the meaning of votes cast in European elections: turnout bears a strong relationship to age and to how interested the voter is in politics. The article does not support any conclusion that abstention in European elections is linked to negative attitudes vis-à-vis the European Union or to the range of party platforms on offer.

Palavras-chave : Eleições; Parlamento Europeu 2004; Participação eleitoral; Eleições europeias; Portugal; Europa.

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