Who runs Setúbal

Who leads the council, how the municipal organs split, when the next election is. Short, honest, with link-outs to the official source.

Mayor

Maria das Dores Meira

Independent (backed by PSD and CDS-PP)

In office since October 2025 · Ballot coalition: SET-V 25

Dores Meira led the Setúbal Chamber from 2009 to 2021 for the CDU. She returned in 2025 as an independent, backed by the PSD and CDS-PP, after breaking with the communist coalition. Her win — 29.91% of the vote and a margin of roughly a thousand over the PS — ended 24 years of CDU rule.

Municipal election, 12 October 2025

Election night closed with a rare shift at district-capital level: Setúbal left CDU hands for the first time since 2001. The margin was tight — PS roughly a thousand votes behind — and the executive (vereadores) and municipal assembly ended up split across several forces.

Political forceShareNote
SET-V 25 (Dores Meira — Independent)29,91%Winner, backed by PSD/CDS-PP
PS (Socialist Party)—Second, ~1,000 votes behind
Chega~18%Third force, clear rise since 2021
CDU (PCP-PEV)—Dropped to fourth after 24 years in office

Official results (RTP) →

Next election

The next local election is due October 2029 (four-year cycle).

Parish councils

The Setúbal municipality has five parishes (after the 2013 reforms). Each has its own executive elected at the local election.

Last reviewed: 2026-04