Important Info Concerning Politics In Portugal

July 28, 2010 by Paul Stubbs
Filed under Portugal

Portuguese politics managed at a number of various levels. The particular constitution and the laws comprised the first level. This formal structure in government usually appeared rigid, legalistic, and dense, particularly towards outsiders. Yet, these constitutional and legal structures had been much more apparent and more simply recognized than the other levels of the Portuguese system of government.

The next level contains political parties and interest groups. Due to the legalistic tradition, a strict separation existed in Portugal between the formal governmental system and the sphere of political parties and awareness organizations. Portuguese tended to adhere to the official system of government yet to denigrate interest groups and political parties. As Portuguese democracy prospered through the 1980s, however, political parties and interest groups obtained greater popularity seeing as an integral part of the system of government.

Unlike these first couple of levels, the third level of Portuguese politics was largely unseen and ended up being one of the most tough to outsiders to penetrate and understand. This particular level consisted of the actual informal contacts, family relationships, interpersonal ties, kinships, and patronage networks which were so much the center of the Portuguese political system. Rarely been vocal of or described by the Portuguese, did these interactions allow the Portuguese system to function and to reduce through vast levels of red tape.

Most of the informal networks which had prolonged steered Portuguese matters were seriously disrupted through the Revolution of 1974 when extended clans and families lost their property and their positions. However, several systems were rebuilt within subsequent years, while others had been formed by the forging of new political and economic relationships. Understanding of this particular third level of Portuguese politics had been essential for a full knowledge of the formal and the informal characteristics within the Portuguese political system.

Since the formation on the democratic republic and its constitution in 1976, four main political parties surfaced; the PCP (Partida Comunista Portugus), PS (Partido Socialista), PPD/PSD (Partido Popular Democratico/Partido Social Democrtica) and CDS (Centro Democrtica Social). The PS and the PSD control the national and regional governments and also have related base politics, each with concentration on market economic system and pro- Europe. The President is actually chosen for five years, is actually the commander in chief of the armed forces, and may work two sequential terms. The other primary elements of the government would be the the Assembly of the Republic and Council of Ministers and the judiciary. The parliament includes 230 members who serve 4-year terms and are elected using a form of proportional representation. The two main independent zones of the Azores and Madeira have had their own legislative power and governments ever since 1976, and distribute legislative proposals to the Portuguese Parliament (Assembleia da Republica).

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