section_path: History/Cavaco Silva governments (1985–1995)
section_name: Cavaco Silva governments (1985–1995)
paragraph_text: Cavaco Silva governments (1985–1995)
  
  The PSD won a plurality (but not a majority) in the general election of 1985, and Cavaco Silva became Prime Minister. Economic liberalization and tax cuts ushered in several years of economic growth. After a motion of no confidence was approved, early elections were called for July 1987, which resulted in a landslide victory for the PSD, who captured 50.2 percent of the popular vote and 148 of the 250 parliamentary seats – the first time that any political party in Portugal had mustered an absolute majority in a free election. While the PSD had been very popular going into the election, the size of its victory far exceeded the party's most optimistic projections. A strong economy, growing above 7 percent in 1988, ushered a big convergence between Portugal and other EU countries.
  
  The PSD won a historic third term in the 1991 election, with a slightly higher vote share than four years earlier, 50.6 percent. The early 1990s recession hit Portugal in 1993 and high levels of unemployment adding to this fiscal adjustments, eroded the popularity of the Cavaco Silva's government. The anti-tolls riots in 25 de Abril Bridge in June 1994 and the violent response from security forces, further undermined Cavaco Silva's position. In early 1995, Cavaco Silva announced he would not run for a fourth term as Prime Minister.