Portugal » Politics

The President of the Republic, elected to a 5-year term by universal suffrage is also commander in chief of the armed forces. Presidential powers include appointing the Prime Minister, as advised by the Parliament which elects the Prime Minister, and the Council of Ministers, named by the Prime Minister.

Some other major powers include dismissing the Government, dissolving the Parliament, and declaring war or peace. These have several constitutional restrictions, namely the need to consult the presidential advisory body. This is the Council of State, composed of six senior civilian officers, all former presidents elected since 1976, and ten citizens, five chosen by the President and the other five by the Parliament. The most commonly used power is that of approving or vetoing any legislation.

Early elections were held on 20 February 2005. The Socialist Party won an overall parliamentary majority and Prime Minister, José Socrates, and Portugal’s new cabinet were sworn in on 12 March 2005. On his appointment PM Socrates outlined his key priorities as promoting growth and innovation, and tackling unemployment, social exclusion and poverty. As of March 2006, a number of initiatives had been announced to take forward this modernising agenda.