First attempts Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa led an attempt to establish a new Democratic Alliance in 1998, between the PSD and the
People's Party (CDS–PP; the former CDS), led by
Paulo Portas. It contested the
2004 European elections as
Força Portugal, but was subsequently dissolved. However, both the PSD and CDS–PP later agreed to contest the
2014 European elections under a joint list called the
Portugal Alliance. In the
2015 legislative election, PSD and CDS-PP ran together in a coalition called
Portugal Ahead. The Democratic Alliance was revived in the
Azores only to contest the
2022 elections. The coalition polled second with 34% of the votes and elected two MPs to Parliament.
2024 Democratic Alliance After the
2022 legislative election and for the first time in history,
CDS–PP failed to win any seats and was wiped out of parliament. In December 2023,
Luís Montenegro and
Nuno Melo announced a coalition for the
2024 legislative and
European Parliament elections, including the
Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD), the
CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP) and some independent politicians under the name
Democratic Alliance (AD). At first, the
People's Monarchist Party (PPM) refused to join the alliance, citing the "weakness" and "lack of vision" of its leaders, but they later rescinded this position and joined the coalition. The agreement for the coalition was signed on 7 January 2024 between
Luís Montenegro,
Nuno Melo and
Gonçalo da Câmara Pereira, with
Miguel Guimarães, former President of the
Order of Physicians, representing the independents that are also present in the coalition. This coalition granted CDS–PP two easily eligible seats and four potentially eligible seats, thus making the return of CDS-PP to the Parliament after the 2024 election certain. The coalition also granted one possibly eligible seat to PPM. The coalition was also revived for the
2024 Azorean regional election. The coalition won the 2024 Azorean regional election, with 42 percent of the votes. It was the first time in 32 years that a PSD-led coalition polled first in an Azorean regional election. The AD coalition went also to win, albeit by a narrow margin, the 2024 March legislative election, gathering 29 percent of the votes and electing 80 seats to Parliament. PSD leader
Luís Montenegro was sworn in as
Prime Minister, under a minority government, on 2 April 2024. The Democratic Alliance increased its share of vote in the
June 2024 European Parliament election, up to 31 percent, but was narrowly defeated by the
Socialist Party (PS) which gathered 32 percent of the votes. A new election was called for
May 2025, after a vote of confidence in the AD minority government was rejected, following the revelations of the
Spinumviva case, involving Luís Montenegro's family business. The coalition was again the winner, with a stronger mandate, gathering nearly 32 percent of the votes and 91 seats.
Departure of PPM from the coalition On 26 March 2025, it was announced that the
People's Monarchist Party (PPM) left the coalition because of disagreements regarding the lists for the May early election. PPM warned PSD and CDS–PP that the name of the coalition couldn't continue the same, and then a new designation was announced:
AD – Democratic Alliance – PSD/CDS. The
Constitutional Court rejected this new designation and the coalition proposed a new one,
AD – PSD/CDS coalition, which was then accepted by the Court. The AD – PSD/CDS coalition also signed a deal with the
Earth Party (MPT), in which the party agrees to support the coalition and includes some environmental policies in the AD's electoral program, with MPT leader Pedro Soares Pimenta being a candidate on the 25th place of the list in
Lisbon. == Members of the Democratic Alliance ==