Existing researches converge in showing that minority governments are able to fulfill a considerable proportion of the pledges listed in their manifesto – a proportion which is as large if not larger than for their majority. This is highly surprising, since minority government must negotiate every bill to ensure their passage in parliament – a process that should theoretically hinder a good fulfillment of their manifesto. What explain minority governments’ success? Under what conditions would they be able to get their way? This paper addresses these questions using Portugal as a case study. Relying on vote cast roll during 5 legislatures; on interviews with former ministers and opposition leaders and on qualitative analysis of important legislation; this paper sheds lies on the puzzle of minority government performance.
