ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter it was shown that there is no clear and precise connection between Portugal's multipartyism and the electoral system. While a certain correlation between the configuration of the party system and political factors was noted, the relationship was not a clear and precise one in which sharp political changes produced radically new parties. It was shown that Portugal's party system developed, by an evolutionary process of accretion and erosion, the multiplicity of parties being until recently primarily little more than elite factions within broader political traditions.
