A abstenção eleitoral em Portugal nas eleições legislativas, presidenciais e europeias dos últimos 40 anos

Abstract

This thesis aims to study the electoral absenteeism in Portugal, in the legislative, presidential and European elections in the last forty years.
There are several theoretical models to explain electoral abstention, from the Michigan model, Columbia's model, rational theory, and social integration theory, to present different interpretations and explanations of electoral participation.
Abstention rates in the legislative, presidential and European elections in the last forty years in Portugal have not ceased to grow despite the fact that technical abstentions’ has already been found to be a factor with great weight in these results.
When compared with the abstention rates of other European countries, which also grow, since
the 90's of the twentieth century, it is verified that the growth of abstention in Portugal is even more pronounced.
There are several factors that can influence this phenomenon the political system, the electoral system, the party system and the importance of the elections.
Considering the possible effects of abstention on the political system and on democracy, electoral abstention will not jeopardize the legitimacy of democracy since it is expected that there will always be a residual percentage of abstention as a condition for the normalization of the representative democracy system.

Date of Award	7 Jun 2017
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Manuel Braga da Cruz (Supervisor)