Portugal - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Portugal, it was name derives from the Roman designation "Portus Cale" meaning "Port of Cale"; Cale was an ancient Celtic town and port in present-day northern Portugal. The Government system in this country is the semi-presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
National symbols
Armillary sphere (a spherical astrolabe modeling objects in the sky and representing the Republic); national colors: red, green.
The flag
The National flag of Portugal has two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) centered on the dividing line; explanations for the color meanings are ambiguous, but a popular interpretation has green symbolizing hope and red the blood of those defending the nation.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "A Portugesa" (The Song of the Portuguese) |
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| Lyric/music | Henrique LOPES DE MENDOCA/Alfredo KEIL |
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note: adopted 1910; "A Portuguesa" was originally written to protest the Portuguese monarchy's acquiescence to the 1890 British ultimatum forcing Portugal to give up areas of Africa; the lyrics refer to the "insult" that resulted from the event
More about the government of Portugal
| Date of Independence | 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 1 December 1640 (independence reestablished following 60 years of Spanish rule); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Portugal Day (Dia de Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis DE CAMOES (1524-80) died |
| Legal system | civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest adopted 2 April 1976, effective 25 April 1976 |
| Amendments | Proposed by the Assembly of the Republic; adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of Assembly members; amended several times, last in 2005 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Portugal |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 10 years; 6 years if from a Portuguese-speaking country |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (since 9 March 2016) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Antonio Luis MONTENEGRO (since 2 April 2024) |
| Cabinet | Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister |
| Elections/appointments | president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 24 January 2021 (next to be held in January 2026); following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president |
| Election results | 2021: Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (PSD) 60.7%, Ana GOMES (ran as an independent but is a member of PS) 13%, Andre VENTURA (CH) 11.9%, João FERREIRA (PCP-PEV) 4.3%, other 10.1% 2016: Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA elected president in the first round; percent of vote - Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (PSD) 52%, António SAMPAIO DA NOVOA (independent) 22.9%, Marisa MATIAS (BE) 10.1%, Maria DE BELEM ROSEIRA (PS) 4.2%, other 10.8%
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| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; 226 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed-list proportional representation vote and 4 members - 2 each in 2 constituencies representing Portuguese living abroad - directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) |
| Elections | Last held on 10 March 2024 (next to be held on 30 September 2028); note - early elections were called after Prime Minister Antonio Luis Santos da COSTA resigned on 7 November 2023 |
| Election results | Percent of vote by party - AD (PSD, CDS-PP, PPM) 28.8%, PS, 28%, Enough 18.1%, IL 4.9%, BE 4.4%, L 3.2%, CDU 3.2%, other 9.4%; seats by party - AD (PSD, CDS-PP, PPM) 80, PS 78, Enough 50, IL 8, BE 5, L 4, CDU 4, other 1; composition - men 155, women 75, percentage women 32.6% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (consists of 12 justices); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 13 judges) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Supreme Court justices nominated by the president and appointed by the Assembly of the Republic; judges can serve for life; Constitutional Court judges - 10 elected by the Assembly and 3 elected by the other Constitutional Court judges; judges elected for 6-year nonrenewable terms |
| Subordinate courts | Supreme Administrative Court (Supremo Tribunal Administrativo); Audit Court (Tribunal de Contas); appellate, district, and municipal courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Francisco Antonio DUARTE LOPES (since 7 June 2022) |
| Chancery | 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 350-5400 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 462-3726 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://washingtondc.embaixadaportugal.mne.gov.pt/en/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Boston, Newark (NJ), New York, San Francisco |
| Consulate(s) | New Bedford (MA), Providence (RI) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Randi Charno LEVINE (since 22 April 2022) |
| Embassy | Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisboa |
| Mailing address | 5320 Lisbon Place, Washington DC 20521-5320 |
| Telephone | [351] (21) 727-3300 |
| FAX | [351] (21) 726-9109 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://pt.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) | Ponta Delgada (Azores) |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 17 (16 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Historic Évora (c); Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (c); Cultural Landscape of Sintra (c); Laurisilva of Madeira (n); Historic Guimarães (c); Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon (c); Convent of Christ in Tomar (c); Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde (c); University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia (c); Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Portugal
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Portugal
Want to know more about Portugal? Check all different factbooks for Portugal below.
