2022 Portuguese legislative election

Early legislative elections were held on 30 January 2022 in Portugal to elect members of the Assembly of the Republic to the 15th Legislature of the Third Portuguese Republic. All 230 seats to the Assembly of the Republic were up for election.

On 27 October 2021, the budget proposed by the Socialist minority government was rejected by the Assembly of the Republic. The Left Bloc (BE) and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), both of whom had previously supported the government, joined the centre-right to right-wing opposition parties and rejected the budget. On 4 November 2021, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of Portugal, announced a snap election to be held on 30 January 2022. This election was the third national election held in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic - as the country held a presidential election (January) and local elections (September) in 2021 - and the fourth overall, as there was a regional election in the Azores in October 2020. The ruling national government led the local elections but suffered losses, especially in Lisbon.

The Socialist Party (PS) of incumbent Prime Minister António Costa won an unexpected majority government in the Assembly of the Republic, the second in the party's history. The PS received 41.4% of the vote and 120 seats, four seats above the minimum required for a majority. The PS won the most votes in all districts in mainland Portugal, only failing to win the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Political analysts considered the PS to have benefited from voters of the BE and the Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU) casting their votes for the PS instead.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) remained stable but underperformed opinion polls that had predicted a close race with the PS. The PSD won 29.1% of the vote, a slightly higher share than in 2019, and received 77 seats, two seats less than the previous election. The PSD was surpassed by the PS in districts like Leiria and Viseu, and lost Bragança by only 15 votes to the PS. In the aftermath of the election, party leader Rui Rio announced he would resign from the leadership.

CHEGA finished in third place, winning 12 seats and 7.2% of the vote. The Liberal Initiative (IL) finished in fourth place, winning 8 seats and 4.9% of the vote. Both parties experienced a surge of voters and made gains this election, though CHEGA received 100,000 fewer votes than its leader had received in the previous year's presidential election, an election in which turnout was lower.

The BE and CDU both suffered significant losses, being surpassed by the IL and CHEGA. Their rejection of the 2022 budget was considered to be a factor in losing votes and seats, along with tactical voting. The BE won 5 seats and 4.4% of the vote. CDU won 6 seats and 4.3% of the vote, while losing seats in Évora and Santarém districts. The Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PEV) lost all their seats for the first time.

The CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP) lost all their seats for the first time, receiving 1.6% of the vote. Party leader Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos announced his resignation. People Animals Nature (PAN) suffered losses as well, winning 1 seat and 1.6% of the vote, 3 fewer seats than in the previous election. LIVRE won 1 seat and received 1.3% of the vote, holding on to the single seat they won in the previous election, with party leader Rui Tavares being elected in Lisbon.

The voter turnout grew, compared with the previous election, with 51.5% of registered voters casting a ballot, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.

After controversies and accusations because of the counting of overseas ballots, the Constitutional Court forced the repetition of the election in the Europe constituency, which elects two MPs. Therefore, the swearing in of the new Parliament and Government was delayed by a month and a half. The rerun of the election in the overseas constituency of Europe occurred, for in person voting, on 12 and 13 March 2022, and postal ballots were received until 23 March 2022. The final, certified results of the election were published in the official journal, Diário da República, on 26 March 2022.