Portugal’s local elections, known in Portuguese as ‘autárquicas’, are scheduled for this Sunday (October 12) and will see citizens across the country going to the polls to elect their local leaders for the next four years.
In these local elections, voters will choose 308 municipal mayors across Portugal, their councillors, and municipal assemblies, as well as 3,259 parish assemblies.
In the Algarve, the race is expected to be tight in many of its 16 municipalities, with far-right party CHEGA hoping to squeeze into what has historically been a two-party race between PS and PSD – except in Silves, where PCP-PEV has won the local elections for the last three terms.
Some mayors are completing their third term in office (the maximum allowed by Portuguese law) and can no longer run for the same municipality, such as Rogério Bacalhau (Faro), Vítor Aleixo (Loulé), António Pina (Olhão, but now running for mayor in Faro), Vítor Guerreiro (São Brás de Alportel), and Rosa Palma (Silves).
Here’s the full list of candidates running in the Algarve:
Faro (current mayor: Rogério Bacalhau, PPD/PSD.CDS–PP.IL.MPT.PPM)
- José Freitas de Oliveira – ADN (Alternativa Democrática Nacional)
- José Moreira – Bloco de Esquerda (BE)
- Pedro Pinto – Chega (CH)
- Adriana Marques Silva – Livre (L)
- Duarte Baltazar – Partido Comunista Português/Partido Ecologista “Os Verdes” (PCP/PEV)
- Cristóvão Norte – Partido Popular Democrático-Partido Social Democrata/Iniciativa Liberal/Centro Democrático e Social-Partido Popular/Pessoas, Animais, Natureza/Partido da Terra (PPD/PSD.IL.CDS–PP.PAN.MPT)
- António Pina – Partido Socialista (PS)
- Pedro Oliveira – Volt Portugal (VP)
Albufeira (current mayor: José Carlos Rolo, PPD/PSD.CDS–PP.MPT.PPM)
- Rui Cristina – CH
- Miguel Matias – IL
- Manuela Vardasta – PCP–PEV
- José Carlos Rolo – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP
- Victor Ferraz – PS.L.BE.PAN
Alcoutim (current mayor: Paulo Paulino, PS)
- José Miguel Ghira – CH
- Luísa Barros – PCP–PEV
- Carlos Ludovico – PPD/PSD
- Paulo Paulino – PS
Aljezur (current mayor: José Gonçalves, PS)
- Fernando Cortes – CH
- Carlos Miguel Sêco – PCP–PEV
- José Gonçalves – PS
- Manuel Marreiros – Renascer/PSD
Castro Marim (current mayor: Filomena Sintra, PPD/PSD)
- Jorge Pinto – CH
- Maria José Madeira – PCP–PEV
- Filomena Sintra – PPD/PSD
- Ricardo Cipriano – PS
Lagoa (current mayor: Luís Encarnação, PS)
- Marco Floro – BE.PAN
- Lurdes Alemão – CH
- Victor Carapinha – PCP–PEV
- Paulo Serra – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP
- Luís Encarnação – PS
Lagos (current mayor: Hugo Pereira, PS)
- Paulo Rosário – CH
- Maria João Sacadura – L
- Luís Barroso – Nós Cidadãos/PAN
- Alexandre Nunes – PCP–PEV
- Gilberto Viegas – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP
- Hugo Pereira – PS
Loulé (current mayor: Vítor Aleixo, PS)
- Ana Poeta – BE.L
- Fernando Santos – CH
- Catarina Piedade – PCP–PEV
- Hélder Martins – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP.IL
- Telmo Pinto – PS
- Carlos Santos – VP
Monchique (current mayor: Paulo Alves, PS)
- Fábio Ferreira – CH
- Stephen Hughman – PCP–PEV
- João Miguel Silva – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP
- Paulo Alves – PS
Olhão (current mayor: António Pina, PS)
- Ricardo Moreira – CH
- Alexandre Pereira – PAN
- Florbela Gonçalves – PCP–PEV
- António Andrade – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP
- Ricardo Calé – PS
Portimão (current mayor: Álvaro Bila, PS)
- João Simplício – ADN
- João Vasconcelos – BE.L
- João Graça – CH
- Nuno Cordas – PCP–PEV
- Carlos Gouveia Martins – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP.IL
- Álvaro Bila – PS
São Brás de Alportel (current mayor: Vítor Guerreiro, PS)
- Mário Botelho – CH
- Antonino Costa – PCP–PEV
- Bruno Sousa Costa – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP
- Marlene Guerreiro – PS
Silves (current mayor: Rosa Palma, PCP–PEV)
- Sérgio Correia – BE.L.PAN
- José Paulo Sousa – CH
- Luísa Conduto – PCP–PEV
- João Garcia – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP.IL
- Ana Sofia Belchior – PS
Tavira (current mayor: Ana Paula Martins, PS)
- Anaísa Gonçalves – CH
- Venceslau Peres – PCP–PEV
- Dinis Faísca – PPD/PSD
- Ana Paula Martins – PS
Vila do Bispo (current mayor: Rute Silva, PS)
- Afonso Nascimento – CH
- Bruno Boaventura – PCP–PEV
- Paula Freitas – PPD/PSD
- Rute Silva – PS
Vila Real de Santo António (current mayor: Álvaro Araújo, PS)
- Sebastião Pires – BE
- David Costa – CH
- Lígia Martins – PCP–PEV
- José Carlos Barros – PPD/PSD.CDS–PP
- Álvaro Araújo – PS
Can foreigners vote in Portugal’s local elections?
Yes, foreigners can vote in Portugal’s local elections, but with some important conditions depending on their nationality and residency status, according to Portugal’s National Elections Commission website.
Here’s how it works:
EU citizens
Citizens of other European Union member states who live in Portugal can both vote and run as candidates in local elections, but with some requirements:
- They must be registered as a resident in Portugal.
- No minimum residency period is required.
Non-EU citizens
Certain non-EU nationals can also vote — but only from countries with reciprocal agreements allowing Portuguese citizens to vote in their local elections.
As of 2025, those countries are: Argentina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Chile, Iceland, Norway, Peru, Uruguay, United Kingdom, Venezuela, and New Zealand.
Requirements:
- Must hold a valid residence permit in Portugal.
- Must have lived legally in Portugal for a certain number of years before registering – two years for citizens of Brazil and Cape Verde, and three years for citizens of the other eligible countries.
All citizens from eligible EU and non-EU countries must already be registered on the electoral roll (recenseamento eleitoral) at their local parish council (Junta de Freguesia).
Who cannot vote?
Citizens of countries without a reciprocity agreement (e.g. the United States, Canada, India, China) cannot vote or run in local elections in Portugal.
