Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO Silva (since 9 March 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES (since 12 March
2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative
body to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006
(next to be held January 2011); following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is
usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Anibal CAVACO Silva elected president; percent of
vote - Anibal CAVACO Silva 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario SOARES
14.3%, Jeronimo de SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%,
CDU 7.6%, PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14,
PP 12, BE 8
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for
life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)
Political parties and leaders:
Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA]; Popular Party or
PP [Jose Ribeiro e CASTRO]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP
[Jeronimo de SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES
Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Luis
Marques MENDES]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA];
Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU (includes PEV and PCP)
[Jeronimo de SOUSA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU,
ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI (observer), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO
chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726
consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San
Francisco
consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alfred J. HOFFMAN Jr.
embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon
mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE
09726
telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300
FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109
consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Flag description:
two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red
(three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the
dividing line