Fernando Nogueira was elected President of the Social Democratic Party on 17 February 1995, after Aníbal Cavaco Silva decided to step down after ten years as party leader (and Prime Minister) in order to run for the 1996 presidential election. By then he had been widely regarded for a long time as Cavaco's political heir, and won the party congress by 33 votes against Durão Barroso. Nogueira resigned all government posts in March 1995 and led the party into the 1995 legislative election, performing well in the television debates against the Socialist Party leader António Guterres. However, the electorate was tired of the Social Democrats and the Socialist Party won the election, with Guterres becoming Prime Minister. Fernando Nogueira became Leader of the Opposition, which in Portugal is an informal position which doesn't carry the same privileges and responsibilities as in other countries such as the United Kingdom.