Politics, constitution and administrative structure of Portugal

Portugal is a democratic state in which the Republican government predominates. The state functions on the basis of the Constitution, which was adopted in April 1976. To this day, it has been updated and amended four times. The head of the country is the President. He is elected every five years. Elections take place by secret ballot. The Constitution of the country stipulates that the same candidate cannot rule the country for more than two consecutive terms. All citizens of the country who have already reached the age of 18 take part in the voting. The President’s direct duties include representation of his country in the international arena. He is the guarantor of the integrity of the country and state unity, and is also considered the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Portugal.

According to the Constitution, the President has the right to dissolve the parliament if its activities does not correspond to the current Constitution or does not inspire confidence in the President. After that, the President has the right to announce early elections and set a voting date. Besides this, in case of some pressing issues, the President of the country can allow for the Referendum to take place (that will represent the national interests of every citizen of the country). The President is also given the privilege to veto any law that was passed by the majority in parliament. If the law does not comply with the constitutional provisions, the President may challenge it before the appropriate tribunal. To date in Portugal, the President’s activities are directly related to the work of the State Council. This advisory body allows the President to cover all sectors of his country’s life and make reasonable decisions.

The Parliament of Portugal is called the Republican Assembly. It has a unicameral structure. Deputies get to stay in Parliament for a term of 4 years. To date, 230 deputies successfully work in the Parliament, which are given their positions through universal suffrage. Aside from this, the system of parliamentary elections is somewhat non-standard. So, despite the fact that deputies are elected from certain districts (according to the proportional system) in parliament, they represent the country entirely. The Government of Portugal consists of ministers from the relevant ministries, and is headed by the Prime Minister. At the constitutional level, Portugal has a multiparty system of government. Since gaining independence, only two parties are competing in the country’s political scene – Socialists and Social Democrats. Also in the modern parliament are deputies from the Portuguese Communist Party, from the left bloc, from the Green Party, as well as from the People’s Democratic Union. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The administrative territory of Portugal is divided into 18 districts, which are called Distritos. In addition, the territory has two autonomous regions that are geographically separated from the mainland of the country. These are the islands of Madeira and the Azores. A local government, as well as a specialized legislative assembly, functions on their territory. In total, Portugal has more than three hundred municipal districts. The role of the executive is very difficult to overestimate. Their main structures are the city administration, as well as the municipal chambers. Each administrative district is headed by a Governor who is appointed personally by the Minister.

Foreign policy in Portugal today is not aggressive, but is formed in connection with the needs and basic concepts of NATO, the OSCE and the European Union. It should be noted that Portugal is a fairly active member of these organizations, as well as other international communities, and participates in solving various world problems, in particular, the pro-Atlantic orientation. Today, the armed forces of Portugal include more than 45,000 people, of these, more than half belong to the land forces. The soldiers in the naval fleet are no more than 11,000. The air force has at least 7,000 soldiers.

The Republican Guard operates on the territory of the country, and is intended to enhance the country’s military potential and protect territorial borders. Service is mandatory for men, and is for a period of 4 months. The conscription age is from 20 years. The majority of servicemen work in the country on a contract basis. Portugal has set for itself, the goal of bringing the army to a completely professional level. To date, the maintenance of the armed forces takes 2% of the total GDP. It should be noted that various international military assets are located on the territory of Portugal. For example, NATO is based in Madeira, and US troops are landing in the Azores.