2025 Sintra local election

2025 Sintra local elections

12 October 2025

All 11 Councillors in the Sintra City Council
6 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout50.0% 9.9 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Marco Almeida Ana Mendes Godinho Rita Matias
Party PSD PS CH
Alliance Always with the People of Sintra The People, Always
Last election 3 seats (VCS) 5 seats, 35.3% 1 seat, 9.1%
Seats won 4 4 3
Seat change 0 1 2
Popular vote 55,088 51,528 38,048
Percentage 33.9% 31.7% 23.4%
Swing 0.4 pp 3.6 pp 14.3 pp

Mayor before election

Basílio Horta
PS

Elected mayor

Marco Almeida
PSD

The 2025 Sintra local election was held on 12 October 2025 to elect the members for Sintra City Council, Sintra Municipal Assembly and the city's 15 parish assemblies.

Incumbent Mayor Basílio Horta, from the Socialist Party (PS), was ineligible for a fourth term. Former Minister of Labour Ana Mendes Godinho was chosen as the candidate of the PS, in a coalition with LIVRE (L) and supported by Volt Portugal (VP), while former Deputy Mayor Marco Almeida ran for the third time, this time with the support of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Initiative (IL) and People Animals Nature (PAN). Meanwhile, Chega (CH) presented the leader of Chega Youth, Rita Matias, as its candidate.

CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP) broke away with the PSD, after disagreements regarding the lists and the inclusion of the Liberal Initiative, and will contest the election in a coalition with the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) and the National Democratic Alternative (ADN), with local party councillor Maurício Rodrigues as mayoral candidate. The Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU) repeated their 2021 mayoral candidate and local party councillor Pedro Ventura.

In his 3rd try to reach the office of mayor of Sintra, Marco Almeida (PSD/IL/CDS) was successful, winning nearly 34% of the votes and electing 4 councillors. The PS/LIVRE coalition was close behind, gathering 32% of the voted and also electing the same number of councillors as the PSD led-coalition, four. Chega increased to 23% of the voted and elected 3 councillors. CDU lost its representation in Sintra municipal council for the first time in democracy. Turnout increased with 50% of all registered voters casting a ballot.