Parliament of Portugal
The
Assembly of the Republic
(
Portuguese
:
Assembleia da Republica
,
pronounced
[?s??bl?j?
ð?
???puβlik?]
), commonly referred to as simply
Parliament
(
Portuguese
:
Parlamento
), is the
unicameral
parliament
of
Portugal
. According to the
Constitution of Portugal
, the parliament "is the representative assembly of all Portuguese citizens". The constitution names the assembly as one of the country's organs of supreme authority.
It meets in a historical building in
Lisbon
, the
Palacio de Sao Bento
(Palace of Saint Benedict), the site of an old Benedictine monastery. The Palacio has been the seat of the Portuguese parliaments since 1834 (
Cortes
until 1910, Congress from 1911 to 1926 and National Assembly from 1933 to 1974).
Powers and duties of the Assembly
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]
The Assembly of the Republic's powers derive from its ability to dismiss a
government
through a vote of no confidence, to change the country's laws, and to amend the
constitution
(which requires a majority of two-thirds). In addition to these key powers, the constitution grants to the Assembly extensive legislative powers and substantial control over the
budget
, the right to authorize the government to raise taxes and grant loans, the power to ratify treaties and other kinds of international agreements, and the duty to approve or reject decisions by the President of the Republic to declare war and make peace. The assembly also appoints many members of important state institutions, such as ten of the thirteen members of the
Constitutional Court
and seven of the sixteen members of the
Council of State
.
The constitution requires the assembly to quickly review and approve an incoming government's program. Parliamentary rules allow the assembly to call for committees of inquiry to examine the government's actions. Political opposition represented in the assembly has the power to review the cabinet's actions, even though it is unlikely that the actions can be reversed. Party groups can also call for interpellations that require debates about specific government policies.
Structure
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]
The assembly has 230
MPs
. It originally consisted of 250 MPs, but the constitutional reforms of 1989 reduced its number to between 180 and 230. Members are elected by popular vote for legislative terms of four years from the country's twenty-two constituencies. There are eighteen in mainland Portugal corresponding to each
district
, one each for the autonomous regions of
Azores
(Portuguese: Acores) and
Madeira
, and two for Portuguese people living abroad (one covering Europe and one covering the rest of the world).
[a]
Except for the constituencies for Portuguese living abroad, which are fixed at two representatives each, the number of MPs is determined by the number of voters registered in a constituency, using the
D'Hondt method
of
proportional representation
. Constituencies vary greatly in size; from as large as the
district of Lisbon
, which returns 48 representatives, to as small as the
district of Portalegre
, which elects just two.
For the
2024 legislative elections
, the MPs were distributed by districts as follows:
[3]
According to the constitution, members of the assembly represent the entire country, not the constituency from which they are elected. This directive has been reinforced in practice by the strong role of political parties in regard to members of the assembly. Party leadership, for example, determines in which areas candidates are to run for office, thus often weakening members' ties to their constituencies. Moreover, members of the assembly are expected to vote with their party and to work within parliamentary groups based on party membership. Party discipline is strong, and insubordinate members can be coerced through a variety of means. A further obstacle to members' independence is that their bills first have to be submitted to the parliamentary groups, and it is these groups' leaders who set the assembly's agenda.
The
President of the Assembly of the Republic
is the second hierarchical figure in the Portuguese state, after the
President of the Portuguese Republic
, and is elected by secret vote of the members of parliament. The President of the Assembly is aided by four vice presidents, nominated by the other parties represented in the parliament, and is usually the speaker.
[
original research?
]
When they are not present, one of the vice presidents takes the role of speaker. When the President of the Republic is, for any reason, unable to perform the job, the President of the Assembly of the Republic becomes the substitute.
Current composition
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]
Latest election result
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]
Summary of the 10 March 2024
Assembly of the Republic
elections results
|
Parties
|
Votes
|
%
|
±
pp
swing
|
MPs
|
MPs %/
votes %
|
2022
|
2024
|
±
|
%
|
±
|
|
|
Democratic Alliance
(
PSD
/
CDS?PP
/
PPM
)
[b]
|
1,814,002
|
28.01
|
1.7
|
74
|
77
|
3
|
33.48
|
1.3
|
1.20
|
|
Madeira First
(
PSD
/
CDS?PP
)
[c]
|
52,989
|
0.82
|
0.1
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1.30
|
0
|
1.59
|
|
People's Monarchist
[d]
|
451
|
0.01
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
Total Democratic Alliance
[e]
|
1,867,442
|
28.84
|
1.8
|
77
|
80
|
3
|
34.78
|
1.3
|
1.21
|
|
Socialist
|
1,812,443
|
27.98
|
13.4
|
120
|
78
|
42
|
33.91
|
18.3
|
1.21
|
|
CHEGA
|
1,169,781
|
18.06
|
10.9
|
12
|
50
|
38
|
21.74
|
16.5
|
1.20
|
|
Liberal Initiative
|
319,877
|
4.94
|
0.0
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
3.48
|
0
|
0.70
|
|
Left Bloc
|
282,314
|
4.36
|
0.0
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
2.17
|
0
|
0.50
|
|
Unitary Democratic Coalition
|
205,551
|
3.17
|
1.1
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
1.74
|
0.9
|
0.55
|
|
LIVRE
|
204,875
|
3.16
|
1.9
|
1
|
4
|
3
|
1.74
|
1.3
|
0.55
|
|
People?Animals?Nature
|
126,125
|
1.95
|
0.4
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0.43
|
0
|
0.22
|
|
National Democratic Alternative
|
102,134
|
1.58
|
1.4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
React, Include, Recycle
|
26,092
|
0.40
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
Together for the People
|
19,145
|
0.30
|
0.1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
New Right
|
16,456
|
0.25
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
?
|
0.00
|
?
|
0.0
|
|
Portuguese Workers' Communist
|
15,491
|
0.24
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
Volt Portugal
|
11,854
|
0.18
|
0.1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
Rise Up
|
6,030
|
0.09
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
Alternative 21
(
Earth Party
/
Alliance
)
|
4,265
|
0.07
|
0.1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
Labour
|
2,435
|
0.04
|
0.1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
We, the Citizens!
|
2,399
|
0.04
|
0.1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
Socialist Alternative Movement
[4]
[f]
|
0
|
0.00
|
0.1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
Total valid
|
6,194,709
|
95.64
|
1.8
|
230
|
230
|
0
|
100.00
|
0
|
?
|
Blank ballots
|
89,847
|
1.39
|
0.3
|
|
Invalid ballots
|
192,396
|
2.97
|
1.5
|
Total
|
6,476,952
|
100.00
|
|
Registered voters/turnout
|
10,813,643
|
59.90
|
8.5
|
Source: Comissao Nacional de Eleicoes
[5]
|
Elected Composition of the Assembly of the Republic since 1975
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]
Evolution graphic
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]
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1975
1976
1979
1980
1983
1985
1987
1991
1995
1999
2002
2005
2009
2011
2015
2019
2022
2024
-
CH
-
ADIM
-
PPM
-
CDS-PP
-
IL
-
PSN
-
MPT
-
PPD/PSD
-
ASDI
-
PRD
-
PAN
-
PS
-
UEDS
-
L
-
PCP
-
PEV
-
BE
-
MDP
-
UDP
Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic
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See also
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]
Notes
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]
- ^
a
b
All of
Armenia
,
Azerbaijan
,
Bermuda
,
Cyprus
,
Denmark
(including the
Faroe Islands
and
Greenland
),
France
(including
Overseas France
),
Georgia
,
Lebanon
,
Netherlands
(including the
Dutch Caribbean
),
Russia
(including
its Asian part
),
Spain
(including the
Canary Islands
,
Ceuta
and
Melilla
),
Syria
,
Tajikistan
,
Turkey
(including
its Asian part
),
Turkmenistan
and
Uzbekistan
are included in the constituency of Europe, despite being partially or entirely outside geographic
Europe
. All of
Kazakhstan
, including its geographically European part, is included in the constituency of Outside Europe.
[1]
[2]
- ^
In Azores, the PSD, the CDS?PP, and the
People's Monarchist Party
(PPM) contested the elections in a coalition called
Democratic Alliance
(
Alianca Democratica
).
- ^
In Madeira, the PSD and the CDS?PP contested the elections in a coalition called Madeira First (
Madeira Primeiro
).
- ^
PPM list only in Madeira
- ^
Democratic Alliance results are compared to the combined totals of the
Social Democratic Party
, the
Democratic and Social Centre
and the
People's Monarchist Party
in the 2022 election.
- ^
Votes counted as invalid.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Confidence & supply gov't
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
National legislatures in Europe
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Sovereign states
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States with limited
recognition
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Dependencies and
other entities
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Other entities
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International
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National
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Other
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