Government

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The Monarch (Monarca)
The Monarch of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves is the head of state of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom has a parliamentary system of government with the Prime Minister running the government and the politics of the day. However, the Monarch has a role which is more than ceremonial. The Monarch, by his actions and public appearances, represents the state itself, its existence, its legitimacy, and unity. The Monarchy involves an integrative role and the control function of upholding the law and the constitution. It has also a "political reserve function" for times of crisis in the parliamentary system of government. The Monarchy gives direction to general political and societal debates and has some important "reserve powers" in case of political instability. Under the constitution, the Monarch represents the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves in matters of international law, concludes treaties with foreign states on its behalf and accredits diplomats. Furthermore, all laws must be signed by the Monarch before they can come into effect; however, he can only veto a law that he believes to violate the constitution.

It is a matter of political tradition - not legal restrictions - that the Monarch generally does not comment routinely on issues in the news, particularly when there is some controversy among the political parties. This distance from day-to-day politics and daily governmental issues allows the Monarchy to be a source of clarification, to influence public debate, to voice criticism, offer suggestions and make proposals. In order to exercise this power, he traditionally acts above party politics.

The current Monarch is King Duarte Pio who ascended the throne 24 December 1976.	The eastern façade (and main entrance) to the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda. Official residence of the Monarchy

Duties and functions

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The Monarch is involved in the formation of the Government and remains in close cooperation with it. Basically the Monarch is free to act on his own accord. However, according to the constitution, most orders and directives of the Monarch require the countersignature of the Prime Minister or the corresponding Minister. This rule places a check on the Monarch's power. Therefore, the Monarch also receives the Prime Minister regularly for talks on current policy issues. He also holds talks with individual Ministers and other senior officials at his own discretion.
The Monarch's most prominent duties include:

Appointment of the Government

The Monarch proposes an individual as Prime Minister and then, provided he or she is subsequently elected by the Chamber of Deputies, appoints him or her to the office. However, the Chamber of Deputies is free to disregard the Monarch's proposal and elect another individual to the post, whom the Monarch is then obliged to appoint. The Monarch appoints and dismisses the remaining members of the Government "upon the proposal of the Prime Minister." The Monarch can dismiss the Prime Minister, but only in the event that the Chamber of Deputies passes a Constructive Vote of No Confidence. If this occurs, the Monarch must dismiss the Prime Minister and appoint the successor requested by the Chamber of Deputies.

Other appointments

The Monarch appoints judges, civil servants and military officers. All such appointments require the counter-signature of either the Prime Minister or the relevant cabinet minister.

Dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies

In the event that the Chamber of Deputies elects an individual for the office of Prime Minister by a plurality of votes, rather than a majority, the Monarch can, at his or her discretion, either appoint that individual as Prime Minister or dissolve the Chamber of Deputies, triggering a new election. In the event that a vote of confidence is defeated in the Chamber of Deputies, and the incumbent Prime Minister proposes a dissolution, the Monarch may, at his discretion, dissolve the body within 21 days. As of 2010, this power has only been applied three times in the history of the United Kingdom. In all three occurrences it is doubtful whether the motives for that dissolution were in accordance with the constitution's intentions. Each time the incumbent Prime Minister called for the vote of confidence with the stated intention of being defeated, in order to be able to call for new elections before the end of their regular term, as the Constitution does not give the Chamber of Deputies a right to dissolve itself.

Promulgation of the law

All laws passed by Parliament must, after counter-signature, be signed by the Monarch before they can come into effect. Upon signing, the Monarch has to check if the law was passed according to the order mandated by the constitution and/or if the content of the law is constitutional. If not, he or she has the right (and, some argue, the duty) to refuse to sign the law. This has happened rather rarely.

Foreign relations

The Monarch represents the United Kingdom in the World, holds foreign visits and receives foreign dignitaries. He or she also concludes treaties with foreign nations (which do not come into effect until affirmed by the Chamber of Peers), accredits United Kingdom diplomats and receives the letters of accreditation of foreign diplomats.

Pardons and honours

According to the Constitution the Monarch exercises the power to pardon. This means he "has the authority to revoke or commute penal or disciplinary sentences in individual cases. The Monarch cannot, however, issue an amnesty waiving or commuting sentences for a whole category of offences. That requires a law enacted by the Chamber of Deputies in conjunction with the Chamber of Peers.

The Military

The monarch is commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. However, the Constitution states, "Except for purposes of defense against an armed attack upon the Realm or United Kingdom forces, the King shall not use military force against any foreign state without the consent of the Cortes. Any measure which the King may take in pursuance of this provision shall forthwith be submitted to the Cortes and countersigned by the Prime Minister"

The Prime Minister (Primeiro-Ministro)

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His Majesty's government consists of the Prime Minister and his or her cabinet ministers. The Constitution invests the Prime Minister with central executive authority. The Prime Minister's authority emanates from the provisions of the Constitution and from his or her status as leader of the party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

Appointment Mechanism

Every four years, after national elections and the seating of the newly elected Deputies, the Monarch nominates a Prime Minister candidate to that parliamentary body; the Prime Minister is elected by majority vote in the Chamber of Deputies.

This vote is one of the few cases where a majority of all elected members of the Chamber of Deputies must be achieved, as opposed to a mere majority of those that are currently assembled, and is designed to ensure the establishment of a stable government. It has in the past occasionally forced ill or pregnant members to have to attend parliament when a party's majority was only slim.

Unlike regular voting by the Chamber of Deputies, the vote to elect the Prime Minister is by secret ballot. This is intended to ensure that the Prime Minister's majority does not depend on members of his or her party only outwardly showing support.

If the nominee of the Monarch is not elected, the Chamber of Deputies may elect its own nominee within fourteen days. If no-one is elected within this period, the Chamber of Deputies will attempt an election. If the person with the highest number of votes has a majority, the Monarch must appoint him or her. If the person with the highest number of votes does not have a majority, the Monarch may either appoint them or call new elections for the Chamber of Deputies. As all Prime Ministers have been elected in the first vote as yet neither of these constitutional provisions has been applied.

Votes of No-Confidence

The Constitution limits parliament's control over the Prime Minister and the cabinet. Unlike most parliamentary legislatures, the Chamber of Deputies cannot remove the Prime Minister simply with a vote of no-confidence. The Constitution allows only for a "constructive vote of no-confidence." That is, the Chamber of Deputies can remove a Prime Minister only when it simultaneously agrees on a successor. This legislative mechanism ensures both an orderly transfer of power and an initial parliamentary majority in support of the new Prime Minister. The constructive no-confidence vote makes it harder to remove a Prime Minister because opponents of the Prime Minister not only must disagree with his or her governing but also must agree on a replacement.

The Prime Minister also may make use of a second type of no-confidence vote to garner legislative support in the Chamber of Deputies. The Prime Minister can append a simple no-confidence provision to any government legislative proposal. If the Chamber of Deputies rejects the proposal, the Prime Minister may request that the Monarch dissolve parliament and call new elections. Although not commonly used, this procedure enables the Prime Minister to gauge support in the Chamber of Deputies for the government and to increase pressure on the Chamber of Deputies to vote in favor of legislation that the government considers as critical. Furthermore, governments have employed this simple no-confidence motion as a means of bringing about early Chamber of Deputies elections.

Role of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The first Prime Minister, Pedro de Sousa Holstein, set many precedents that continue today. He arrogated nearly all major decisions to himself, and established the Prime Ministership as the clear focus of power in the United Kingdom. He often treated his ministers as mere extensions of his authority rather than colleagues, his successors have tended to be less domineering.
The Prime Minister is the only member of the government elected by the Chamber of Deputies. The other cabinet ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister himself or herself, although they are formally appointed by the Monarch on the Prime Minister's proposal. The Prime Minister also sets the number of cabinet ministers and dictates their specific duties.

The Constitution sets forth three principles that define how the executive branch functions.

• First, the "Prime Minister principle" makes the Prime Minister responsible for all government policies. Any formal policy guidelines issued by the Prime Minister are legally binding directives that cabinet ministers must implement. Cabinet ministers are expected to introduce specific policies at the ministerial level that reflect the Prime Minister's broader guidelines.
• Second, the "principle of ministerial autonomy" entrusts each minister with the freedom to supervise departmental operations and prepare legislative proposals without cabinet interference so long as the minister's policies are consistent with the Prime Minister's larger guidelines.
• Third, the "cabinet principle" calls for disagreements between federal ministers over jurisdictional or budgetary matters to be settled by the cabinet.

António Luís Santos da Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves.	Belém Palace, official residence of the Prime Minister

Parliament (Cortes)

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The Cortes are a bicameral Parliament composed of a lower house (Câmara dos Deputados, chamber of deputies) and an upper house (Câmara dos Pares, Chamber of Peers). The principal function of the Cortes is to pass laws, or legislation. All Laws (bills) and money bills (a bill proposing an expenditure or levying a tax), must be introduced in the Chamber of Deputies. In practice, the great majority of bills are introduced by ministers. Bills introduced by other Members are called private members' bills. All bills must be passed by both Chambers to become law. The Chamber of Peers may amend normal bills but not money bills, it may only pass or reject them. The chamber of Peers also approves treaties and introduces amendments to the Constitution. The enacting formula for Acts of the Cortes is simply "The Cortes of the United Kingdom enacts:".

The Cortes performs other functions besides legislation. It can discuss urgency motions or matters of public importance: these provide a forum for debates on public policy matters. Peers and Deputies can move motions of censure against the government or against individual ministers. On most sitting days in both Chambers there is a session called Question Time at which Peers and Deputies address questions to the Prime Minister and other ministers. Peers and Deputies can also present petitions from their constituents. Both Chambers have an extensive system of committees in which draft bills are debated, evidence is taken and public servants are questioned. There are also joint committees, composed of members from both Chambers.

Câmara dos Deputados (Chamber of Deputies)

Câmara dos Deputados has 448 members. Members are directly elected at least once in every five years by the people of the United Kingdom under a system of proportional representation known as the single transferable vote. Membership of the Chamber of Deputies is open to citizens who are 21 or older. A member of the Chamber of Deputies is known as a Deputy.

The Câmara dos Deputados electorate consists of United Kingdom citizens over 18 years of age who are registered to vote in the United Kingdom. Under the Constitution a general election for Câmara dos Deputados must occur once in every seven years, but a five-year limit is currently specified by statute.

Currently every constituency elects between three and five Deputies. The constitution specifies that no constituency may return fewer than three Deputies but does not specify any upper limit to constituency magnitude. However, statute (Section 6 of the Electoral Act 1997) places a maximum size of five members on constituencies. The constitution requires that constituency boundaries be reviewed at least once in every twelve years, so that boundaries may be redrawn to accommodate changes in population. Boundary changes are currently drafted by an independent commission, and its recommendations are usually followed. Malapportionment is forbidden by the constitution. Under the Constitution, the commission is required to refer to the most recent census when considering boundary changes.

Câmara dos Pares (Chamber of Peers)

Câmara dos Pares has 100 members. Members are directly elected from districts within each of the three constituent nations of the United Kingdom and the Overseas Department of Asia. Each “nation” receives twenty five seats. Elections are done by single transferable vote. Membership of the Chamber of Peers is open to citizens who are 21 or older. A member of the Chamber of Peers is known as a Peer.

The Câmara dos Pares electorate consists of United Kingdom citizens over 18 years of age who are registered to vote in the United Kingdom. Under the Constitution a general election for Câmara dos Pares must occur must occur not later than 90 days after the Câmara dos Deputados has been disolved.

Each “nation” is free to draw it's own districts for the Chamber of Peers. Each district, however, must be of roughly equal population and each district must return only a single member to the chamber.

The Palácio de São Bento, "Saint Benedict's Palace", is the home of the Cortes, the Portuguese parliament.

Political Parties

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Name	Abbreviation	Leader	History	Founded
Communist Party Partido Comunista	PC	Jerónimo de Sousa	The major left-wing party, founded in 1921 as the Portuguese Section of The Communist International (Comintern), has its major influence among the working class. After being one of the most influential   parties in the years that followed the Carnation Revolution it lost most of its power base after the fall of the Socialist Bloc of eastern Europe, but still enjoys popularity in vast sectors of Portuguese society, particularly in the rural areas of Alentejo andRibatejo and also in the heavily industrialized areas around Lisbon and Setúbal. It also has a major influence among the biggest Labour Union – General Confederation of Workers (CGT). Its historical leader, now deceased, was Álvaro Cunhal.	1921
Socialist Party Partido Socialista	PS	António Costa	Social Democrat, founded in 1973, it is a party which resembles the British Labour Party, the GermanSPD or the Spanish PSOE. The party was founded before the 1974 Revolution in Bad Münstereifel West Germany by Mário Soares, one of the main opponents of the fascist regime, and by other personalities.	1973
Labour Party Partido Trabalhista	PT	Amândio Madaleno	Democratic socialist and Green , it is inspired by environmentalism and strongly focused on the rights of animals.	1959
Liberal Democrat Party Partido Liberal-Democrata	PLD	Francisco Oliveira	A centre political party, formerly known as Merit and Society Movement (Movimento Mérito e Sociedade) founded by a college professor from Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa (ISCTE), with  meritocratic  policies for Portuguese society. All policies and methods were written on a book named "Mudar Portugal-A Revolução Inteligente" which means, Change Portugal-The Intelligent Revolution	1999
Portugal Pro-Life Portugal pro Vida	PPV	Luís Botelho Ribeiro	A socially conservative political party that opposes abortion and euthanasia and promotes other elements of Catholic social teaching.	2009

Political Parties in the Chamber of Deputies



Political Parties in the Chamber of Peers



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