Democratic Alliance (Portugal, 2024)

The AD – Democratic Alliance (AD – Aliança Democrática, AD) is a centre-right political alliance in Portugal. Composed of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP) and People's Monarchist Party (PPM), the alliance is a relaunch of the eponymous alliance which contested elections between 1979 and 1983.

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Party (PPM) refused to join the alliance, citing the "weakness" and "lack of vision" of its leaders, but they later rescinded this position and joined the coalition.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 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 almost certain. The coalition will also grant one possibly eligible seat to the 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.

Members of the Democratic Alliance

 * Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD)
 * CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP)
 * People's Monarchist Party (PPM)

Leaders

 * Luís Montenegro : 2024–present