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Portugal Government and Politics
National Government: Constitution of 1976 and
substantially revised in 1982 and 1989 established system
of
government, both presidential and parliamentary. Division
of
executive power between president and the government
(prime
minister and his cabinet, the Council of Ministers).
Division of
legislative power between government and parliament
(Assembly of
the Republic). Government responsible to parliament, from
which
prime minister and most cabinet members come. President,
government, and parliament have varying degrees of power
and
influence over each other. President elected every five
years in
nation-wide vote; Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares elected
in
1986 and 1991. Assembly of Parliament, with 230 to 235
members,
elected every four years if legislative period completed.
Earlier
election possible if parliament dissolved.
Politics: Free and democratic, with variety of
parties
articulating wide range of poltical viewpoints. Four main
parties
consistently in parliament since 1976: Portuguese
Communist Party
(Partido Comunista Português--PCP); Portuguese Socialist
Party
(Partido Socialista Portguesa--PS); Social Democrat Party
(Partido Social Democrata--PSD); Social Democratic Center
Party
(Partido do Centro Democráta--CDS). Political system
gradually
being dominated by PSD and PS. In 1987 and 1991 national
elections, PSD won with slight majorities and formed
governments
with its leader, Anibal Cavaco Silva, as prime minister.
PS
secured 29.3 percent of the vote in 1991; PCP, 12.2
percent; CDS,
4.4 percent.
Legal System: An independent judiciary
guaranteed by
the constitution. Constitution also provides for
Constitutional
Court to review constitionality of legislation, Supreme
Court of
Justice to oversee regular courts, both civil and
criminal, and
Supreme Administratve Court to supervise system of
administrative
courts. In addition, constitution mandates the appointment
of
ombudsman to protect rights of Portuguese citizens by
investigating their complaints about actions of state
authorities.
Local Government and Administration:
Constitution
provides for a number of administrative regions, but not
yet
realized. In meantime, mainland divided into eighteen
districts,
each named after its capital. Districts responsible for
police
and elections and monitoring local government. Local
government
managed by 305 municipalities, further divided into about
4,000
parishes. Elections for governing assemblies of
municipalities
held every four years.
Autonomous Regions and Macau: Archipelagoes of
Azores
and Madeira enjoyed extensive autonomy since 1976. Each
had own
assembly; sent members to national parliament;
government's
representative to each region was minister of the
republic.
Macau, consisting of peninsula attached to the Chinese
mainland
and two islands, Portugal's last colony. According to
agreement
between Lisbon and People's Republic of China, Macau to
become
part of the PRC in 1999, but to retain its free market
economic
system.
Foreign Relations: Historically aloof from
European
affairs except for 1386 Treaty of Windsor with Britain.
Neutral
in World War II, but permitted Britain and United States
military
use of the Azores. Since end of World War II, formed many
international links. Most notably: a founding member of
North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949, joined the
United
Nations (UN) in 1955, European Free Trade Association
(EFTA) in
1960, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development
(OECD) in 1961, Council of Europe in 1976, European
Community
(EC) in 1986, and Western European Union (WEU) in 1988.
Data as of January 1993
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