The aim of this work is to expand the knowledge of opposition in European
legislatures through the study of the Portuguese case.1 We will do that along
two main dimensions: the transformation of the party context and the outbreak of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The Portuguese case represents
a unique opportunity to explore the possible changes in the opposition parties’ behaviour, given the presence of a variety of political and economic
conditions. First, the presence of two major parties alternating in offce and
three radical parties that had neither been part of any government majority
nor supported any executive until 2015 allows us to test the difference in
the behaviour of temporary and permanent opposition. In addition, Portugal
offers an insight into the impact of the economic crisis on the opposition’s
behaviour. As a result, it is the perfect laboratory to test the effect of both
dimensions.
