In the 2021 election, 12.3 percent of incumbent mayors, 38 to be precise, were barred from running for another term: 23 from the PS, 11 from the PSD, 3 from CDU and one from the CDS–PP.

[6] The PS losses across the country and the upset defeat in Lisbon were labeled as a "yellow card" to António Costa's government.

[9] In the Azores and Madeira regions, the party also made gains but lost some cities like Batalha and Guarda to independent movements.

[10] The Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU) saw another decline and achieved their worst result to date, just 19 mayors and 8 percent of the votes.

The coalition was able to hold on to Évora and Setúbal, albeit by slim margins, but lost big suburban cities like Loures and Moita.

[11] Jerónimo de Sousa, CDU leader, recognized that the results "fell short of the goals" of the coalition.

In Figueira da Foz, former prime minister and PSD leader Pedro Santana Lopes made a dramatic comeback, running as an independent, by gaining the city from the PS.

André Ventura said that the results "weren't a total victory", as the party failed its goal of being the 3rd largest political force.

The political forces that expressed intention to present candidacies in at least one of the 308 municipalities are the following:[20] The table below shows voter turnout throughout election day.