Short facts about the government of Portugal

Country name:

conventional long form:  Portuguese Republic conventional short form:  Portugal local long form:  Republica Portuguesa local short form:  Portugal

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

Lisbon

Administrative divisions:

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, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu

Independence:

1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

National holiday:

Portugal Day, 10 June (1580)

Constitution:

25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November 1992, and 3 September 1997

Legal system:

civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state:  President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996) head of government:  Prime Minister Antonio Manuel de Oliviera GUTERRES (since 28 October 1995) cabinet:  Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister note:  there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president elections:  president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA January 2006); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results:  Jorge SAMPAIO re-elected president; percent of vote - Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 55.8%, Joaquim FERREIRA Do Amaral (Social Democrat) 34.5%, Antonio ABREU (Communist) 5.1%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections:  last held 10 October 1999 (next to be held by NA October 2003) election results:  percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PS 115, PSD 81, PCP 15, PP 15, PEV 2, The Left Bloc 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)

Political parties and leaders:

The Greens or PEV [leader NA]; Popular Party or PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Portuguese Communist Party/United Democratic Coalition or PCP/CDU [Carlos CARVALHAS]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Antonio GUTERRES]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [leader vacant]; The Left Bloc [no leader]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

AfDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission:  Ambassador Joao Alberto Bacelar ROCHA PARIS chancery:  2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone:  [1] (202) 328-8610 FAX:  [1] (202) 462-3726 consulate(s) general:  Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco consulate(s):  Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission:  Ambassador Gerald S. MCGOWAN embassy:  Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon mailing address:  PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone:  [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX:  [351] (21) 726-9109 consulate(s):  Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Flag description:

two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line

Source: World Factbook