Portugal Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Portuguese Republic

Type, republic, first government under new constitution formed July 1976

Capital: Lisbon

Political subdivisions: 18 districts in mainland Portugal; Portugal’s two autonomous regions, the Azores and Madeira Islands, have 4 districts (3 of them in the Azores); Macau, Portugal’s remaining overseas territory, was granted broad executive and legislative autonomy in February 1976; Portugal has not officially recognized the unilateral annexation of Portuguese Timor by Indonesia

Legal system: civil law system; constitution adopted April 1976 and revised October 1982; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; legal education at Universities of Lisbon and Coimbra, accepts compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: 25 April

Branches: executive with President and Prime Minister; unicameral legislature (popularly elected 250-seat Assembly of the Republic); independent judiciary

Government leaders Mario SOARES, President (since March 1986); Anibal Cavaco SILVA, Prime Minister (since November 1985'

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Elections: national elections for Assembly of the Republic normally to be held every four years, Assembly elections held October 1985; national election for President to be held every five years (scheduled for 29 January 1986), second constitutional president elected in December 1980; local elections to be held every three years, last elections in December 1985

Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party (PSD), Anibal Cavaco Silva; Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), Mario Soares, Pa^rty of Democratic Renewal ^PRD), Her-minio Martinho; Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Alvaro Cunhal; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Adriano Moreira

Voting strength: (1985 parliamentary election) Social Democrats, 29.87%; Socialists, 20.77%; Democratic Renewal, 17.92%; Communists (in a front coalition called the United Peoples Alliance—APU), 15.49%; Center Democrats, 9 96% (1985 local elections) PSD, 34 02%; PS, 27.39%; APU, 19.44%; CDS, 9.7%; PRD, 4.74% (unofficial results)

Communists: Portuguese Communist Party claims membership of 200,753 (December 1983)

Member of: Council of Europe, EC, EFTA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, 1CAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, 1HO, IL.O, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NATO, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

NOTE: The information regarding Portugal on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Portugal 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Portugal 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.