Health by Words—A Content Analysis of Political Manifestos in the Portuguese Elections of 1975

Abstract

The elections of 25 April 1975 had the highest participation to date in the Portuguese democratic experience. The competing forces organized electoral manifestos that covered a wide range of topics, with complex resources and analysis of the economic problems and the development of the Portuguese space. However, these manifestos’ contents are rich, there has not been a proper effort to study these political messages and reflect on the supply of answers provided by the competing parties to the collective needs assumed by the population, especially regarding Portuguese health. This work reviews these contents through a content analysis methodology, with the conclusion that the most common themes were related to the socioeconomic rights of Portuguese citizens and the need to boost development of different regions and fields, especially health. Other themes that the parties took on as central issues were those related to the war in the overseas territory and the stabilization of the emerging democratic process.