GOVERNMENT
Portugal
moved from authoritarian rule to parliamentary democracy following
the 1974 military coup against dictator Marcello Caetano, himself
a continuation of the long-running dictatorship of Antonio Salazar.
After a period of instability and communist agitation, Portugal
ratified a new Constitution in 1976. Subsequent revisions of the
Constitution placed the military under strict civilian control;
trimmed the powers of the president; and laid the groundwork for
a stable, pluralistic liberal democracy, as well as privatization
of nationalized firms and the government-owned communications
media. Portugal joined the European Union in 1986, and has moved
toward greater political and economic integration with Europe
ever since.
The four main branches of the national government are the presidency, the prime minister and Council of Ministers (the government), the Assembly of the Republic (the parliament), and the judiciary. The president, elected to a five-year term by direct, universal suffrage, also is commander in chief of the armed forces. Presidential powers include confirming the prime minister and Council of Ministers; dismissing the prime minister; dissolving the assembly to call early elections; vetoing legislation, which may be overridden by the assembly; and declaring a state of war or siege. The Council of State, a presidential advisory body, is composed of six senior civilian officers, former presidents elected under the 1976 constitution, five members chosen by the assembly, and five selected by the president.
The government
is headed by the prime minister, who is nominated by the assembly
for confirmation by the president. The prime minister then names
the Council of Ministers. A new government is required to present
its governing platform to the assembly for approval.
The Assembly
of the Republic is a unicameral body composed of up to 230 deputies.
Elected by universal suffrage according to a system of proportional
representation, deputies serve terms of office of 4 years, unless
the president dissolves the assembly and calls for new elections.
The national Supreme Court is the court of last appeal. Military,
administrative, and fiscal courts are designated as separate court
categories. A nine-member Constitutional Tribunal reviews the
constitutionality of legislation.
The Azores and Madeira Islands have constitutionally mandated autonomous status. A regional autonomy statute promulgated in 1980 established the Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores; the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira operates under a provisional autonomy statute in effect since 1976. Continental Portugal is divided into 18 districts, each headed by a governor appointed by the Minister of Internal Administration.
Current
Administration
Parliamentary elections on February 20, 2005, gave the Socialist Party a comfortable majority for the new Prime Minister, Jose Socrates. Socrates' government formally assumed power March 12, 2005.
The Socialist Party's 2005 victory followed a period of transition after center-right (PSD) Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso resigned to accept the nomination as President of the European Commission. Durao Barroso, elected in 2002, committed his government to public-sector austerity and business incentives to promote growth, trade, and productivity. It faced rising unemployment, meeting Eurozone fiscal requirements, and adapting to European Union and NATO enlargement. After Durao Barroso's resignation, President Jorge Sampaio asked the former mayor of Lisbon, Pedro Santana Lopes, to form a new government. Sampaio lost confidence in that government by the end of 2004, dissolved parliament, and called for new parliamentary elections.
Social Democrat Anibal Cavaco Silva, a center-right candidate and former prime minister, won the Portuguese presidential election on January 22, 2006 with 50.6% of the vote. He was sworn in on March 9, 2006, replacing outgoing Socialist President Sampaio.
Principal
Government Officials
President of the Portuguese Republic--Anibal Cavaco Silva
Prime Minister--Jose Socrates
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Luis Amado
Minister of Defense--Nuno Severiano Teixeira
Minister of State for Internal Administration--Rui Pereira
Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers--Pedro Silva Pereira
Minister of State and Justice--Alberto Costa
Ambassador to the United States--Joao de Vallera
Portugal
maintains an embassy in the United States at 2125 Kalorama Road,
NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-328-8610); consulates general
in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, and Newark, NJ; consulates
in Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA; and honorary consulates
in Honolulu, Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans, Chicago, Philadelphia,
Miami, San Juan, and Waterbury. The Portuguese National Tourist
Office in the United States is located at 590 Fifth Avenue, New
York, NY 10036 (tel: 212-354-4403).
Type: Republic.
Constitution: Effective April 25, 1976; revised October 30, 1982, June 1, 1989, November 5, 1992, and September 3, 1997.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), Council of State (presidential advisory body), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers. Legislative--unicameral Assembly of the Republic (230 deputies): PS=121, PSD=75, PCP=12, CDS/PP=12, BE=8, PEV=2. Judicial--Supreme Court, District Courts, Appeals Courts, Constitutional Tribunal.
Major political parties: Socialist Party (PS), Social Democratic Party (PSD); Portuguese Communist Party (PCP); Popular Party (CDS/PP); Left Bloc (BE); Green Party (PEV).
Administrative subdivisions: 18 Districts (Lisbon, Leiria, Santarem, Setubal, Beja, Faro, Evora, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Braganca, Vila Real, Oporto, Braga, Viana do Castelo); 2 Autonomous Island Regions (the Azores and Madeira).
