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Political system of Portugal

Politics in Portugal operates as a unitary multi party semi presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Portugal is the head of government, and the President of Portugal is the non executive head of state with several significant political powers they exercise often. Executive power is exercised by the Government, whose leader is the prime minister. Legislative power is primarily vested in the Assembly of the Republic (the Portuguese parliament), although the government is also able to legislate on certain matters. The Judiciary of Portugal is independent of the executive and the legislature. The President exerts a sort of "moderating power", not easily classified into any of the traditional three branches of government.

The national and regional governments are dominated by two political parties, the centre left Socialist Party (PS), a social democratic party, and the centre right, liberal conservative Social Democratic Party (PSD), which have similar basic policies in some respects: both are pro European, support NATO membership, welfare state and market economy. Other parties with seats in the parliament are Chega, the Portuguese Communist Party, the Left Bloc, the Ecologist Party "The Greens", LIVRE, and People Animals Nature. The Communists and the Greens are in coalition as the Unitary Democratic Coalition. In the Portuguese legislative election of 2011, the PSD won enough seats to form a majority government with the CDS PP. The coalition, led by Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, was supported by a majority in the Parliament of 132 MPs. The major opposition party was the Socialist Party (the party of the former prime minister José Sócrates, in office 2005–2011) with 74 MPs. Also represented were the Portuguese Communist Party (14 MPs), "The Greens" (2 MPs) and the Left Bloc (8 MPs), all to the left of the governing coalition. In the 2015 elections, which the PSD and People's Party (CDS PP) contested as a coalition, Portugal Ahead, the government lost its absolute majority. The left wing parties, the Socialist Party, Portuguese Communist Party, Ecologist Party "The Greens", and Left Bloc, argued that as they were willing to form a coalition which would have a majority in the assembly, they ought to be invited to form the government, while Portugal Ahead, as the largest grouping, argued that they should be invited to form the government. After three weeks of uncertainty, the President designated Passos Coelho as prime minister, which was followed by the formation of a minority government. However, the Government Programmed was rejected by the Parliament. It was the shortest lived Portuguese national government since the Carnation Revolution. Since then, the left wing parties, led by the Socialist Party (PS), have formed the government. On 26 November 2015, there was established a PS minority government led by Prime Minister António Costa. In the Portuguese legislative of 2019, the centre left PS of incumbent Prime Minister Costa obtained the largest share of the vote, and the most seats. On 26 October 2019, there was established a new PS minority government led by Prime Minister António Costa. In the snap 2022 election the ruling PS won an outright majority. Following the Operation Influencer police searches, in November 2023, António Costa resigned and snap elections were called for 10 March 2024, which were won by the Democratic Alliance.

President Eanes then nominated the III Constitutional Government, under the leadership of Alfredo Nobre da Costa, which was sworn in on late August 1978, but lasted just three months as it failed to gain Parliamentary support. The IV Constitutional Government, under the leadership of Carlos Mota Pinto, was sworn in on late November 1978, but, like the previous government, lasted very little, eight months, due to its failure to pass policies in Parliament. The president then swore in the V Constitutional Government, under the leadership of Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, the first and still only female prime minister in Portuguese history. The government managed the country until the early elections of December 1979.

The Democratic Alliance, under the leadership of Francisco Sá Carneiro, won the 1979 legislative elections by a big margin and the VI Constitutional Government was sworn in on January 1980. Sá Carneiro's tenure was short lived as he died in a tragic plane crash in December 1980. In January 1981, the Social Democratic Party, the main party within the Democratic Alliance, elected Francisco Pinto Balsemão as leader and the VII Constitutional Government was sworn in. Internal issues within the Alliance forced a new government to take office, the VIII Constitutional Government, in September 1981, also led by Pinto Balsemão. Balsemão resigned in late 1982.

The Socialist Party, under the leadership of Mário Soares, returned to power after the 1983 legislative election and formed a Central Bloc government, the IX Constitutional Government, between the two main parties, the Socialists and the Social Democrats. Soares resigned in June 1985 after the Social Democrats withdrew from government.

The Social Democratic Party, under the leadership of Aníbal Cavaco Silva, rose to power after the 1985 legislative elections and formed a minority government. However, the government lost the confidence of Parliament in April 1987 after losing a non confidence vote. After this, President Mário Soares called an early election for July 1987. The 1987 early elections were held on 19 July and resulted in a landslide majority government for the Social Democrats, the first time a party won a majority on its own in democracy. The XI Constitutional Government, the first one to finish a full 4 year term in democracy, was sworn in on 17 August 1987. During this term, the PSD government initiated a big program of liberalization and privatization of several sectors of the economy. In the 1991 election the Social Democrats were returned again to power and, also, with an absolute majority. It was the third consecutive election victory for the PSD, a record in democracy. The XII Constitutional Government was sworn in on 31 October 1991. After 1992, the economy fell into a recession and despite the recession being over by mid 1994, the government was badly hit and Cavaco Silva decided to not run for a fourth term as prime minister. Cavaco Silva's 10 year tenure as prime minister is the longest, so far, in democracy.

The Socialist Party, under the leadership of António Guterres, came to power following the October 1995 legislative elections. The Socialists later won a new mandate by winning exactly half the parliamentary seats in the October 1999 election, and constituting then the XIV Constitutional Government. Socialist Jorge Sampaio won the February 1996 presidential elections with nearly 54% of the vote. Sampaio's election marked the first time since the 1974 revolution that a single party held the prime ministership, the presidency, and a plurality of the municipalities. Local elections were held in December 1997. Prime Minister Guterres continued the privatization and modernization policies initiated by his predecessor, Aníbal Cavaco Silva (in office 1985–1995) of the Social Democratic Party. Guterres was a vigorous proponent of the effort to include Portugal in the first round of countries to collaborate and put into effect the euro in 1999. In international relations, Guterres pursued strong ties with the United States and greater Portuguese integration with the European Union while continuing to raise Portugal's profile through an activist foreign policy. One of his first decisions as prime minister was to send 900 troops to participate in the IFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. Portugal later contributed 320 troops to SFOR, the follow up Bosnia operation. Portugal also contributed aircraft and personnel to NATO's Operation Allied Force in Kosovo. Guterres resigned in December 2001 after a disappointing result in the local elections.

Following the results of the 2002 early election, the XV Constitutional Government, led by José Manuel Durão Barroso, leader of the Social Democratic Party, in coalition with the People's Party, whose leader, Paulo Portas, became Minister of Defence, was sworn in on April 2002. This government lasted two years because, in June 2004, Durão Barroso announced his resignation in order to become President of the European Commission.

After José Manuel Durão Barroso accepted the invitation to be the next European Commission President, a new government had to be formed. Though opposition parties called for general elections, President Jorge Sampaio named Pedro Santana Lopes, the new Social Democratic Party leader, as prime minister, who thus formed a new government, in coalition with the People's Party. However, in December 2004, due to several controversies involving the government, the President dissolved the parliament and called for early elections. Santana Lopes resigned after the announcement of the President's decision.

In the elections on 20 February, the Socialist Party obtained its largest victory ever, achieving an absolute majority for the first time in the party's history. Prime Minister José Sócrates was sworn in by President Jorge Sampaio on 12 March. To many's surprise, Sócrates formed a cabinet made up of roughly half senior members of the Socialist Party and half independents, notably including Diogo Freitas do Amaral, founder of the right wing People's Party, who assumed office as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (he later resigned due to personal issues). In the elections on 27 September 2009, The Socialist Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister José Sócrates, won the largest number of seats, but did not repeat the overall majority they gained in 2005. Sócrates was reconducted but lost his majority. The 2010 European debt crisis led Portugal to ask for a bailout from the IMF and the European Union. This situation led to the resignation of José Sócrates as prime minister and the President dissolved parliament and called an early election for June 2011.

In the elections held on 5 June 2011, the Social Democratic Party won enough seats to form a majority government with the People's Party. The Government was led by Pedro Passos Coelho. It had 11 ministers and was sworn in on 21 June. The Portuguese legislative election of 2015 was held on 4 October. The results display a relative victory of the right wing coalition, but they also display a combined victory of the left wing parties (including the Socialist Party), with a hung parliament (a right wing single winner and a left wing majority parliament). After the election, the XX Constitutional Government of Portugal had Pedro Passos Coelho (PSD) as the prime minister and lasted from 30 October 2015 to 26 November 2015. However, the Government Programme was rejected by the Parliament. It was the shortest lived Portuguese national government since the Carnation Revolution.

The 21st cabinet of the Portuguese government since the establishment of the current constitution. It was established on 26 November 2015 as a Socialist Party (PS) minority government led by Prime Minister António Costa. The Portuguese legislative election of 2019 was held on 6 October 2019. The centre left Socialist Party (PS) of incumbent Prime Minister Costa obtained the largest share of the vote, and the most seats. The XXII Constitutional Government of Portugal was sworn in on 26 October 2019 as a Socialist Party (PS) minority government led by Prime Minister António Costa. In October 2021, the budget proposed by the government was rejected by Parliament, leading President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to call an early election for January 2022. The 2022 early elections were held on 30 January 2022. The election resulted in an absolute majority for the Socialist Party, the second in its history. However, the government swearing in was postponed because of a rerun in the overseas constituency of Europe, and the XXIII Constitutitional Government, led by Prime Minister António Costa, was only sworn in on 30 March 2022. António Costa resigned on 7 November 2023, following the Operation Influencer police searches into government contracts surrounding lithium and hydrogen businesses. The President dissolved parliament and called early elections.

In the elections held on 10 March 2024, the Democratic Alliance, alliance between the Social Democratic Party, People's Party and the People's Monarchist Party, won enough seats to form a minority government. The Government led by Luís Montenegro has 17 ministers and was sworn in on 2 April 2024.

Executive power is exercised by the Government of Portugal. The Government is formed after the President appoints the prime minister based on election results, as described earlier – traditionally, the leader of the most voted party. The Government can only remain in place for as long as the Parliament allows: the Parliament can remove the Government at the beginning by approving a motion of rejection to the introductory Government programme, or at any time by approving a motion of no confidence, either of which is achieved by a simple majority; the Government may also, of its own initiative, choose to present at any time a motion of confidence, which acts as the opposite of a motion of no confidence: if rejected, the Government is removed. Finally, the Government also relies on Parliament to approve the state budget, which also allows Parliament to indirectly force the Government to resign by rejecting its budget proposal. Thus, the Government, although not directly elected, is held accountable before Parliament, which is proportionally representative of the people. Typically, once the Government is removed from office, the President will call a snap election (also known as an early election).

The national Supreme Court is the court of last appeal in civil and criminal matters, which is described by the Constitution as "the senior organ in the hierarchy of the courts of law". There is a separate system of courts for administrative and fiscal matters, for which the court of last appeal is the Supreme Administrative Court. During war time, the law provides for there being military courts. A thirteen member Constitutional Court reviews the constitutionality of legislation. There is also a Court of Auditors.

There are two autonomous regions (regiões autónomas, singular região autónoma) with limited legislative powers besides the administrative ones: Azores and Madeira. As purely administrative divisions, there are 18 districts (distritos), 308 municipalities (municípios) and 3,091 civil parishes (freguesias). The districts are Aveiro, Açores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarém, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real and Viseu.