Local and regional government

Several organizational levels

Article 6 describes Portugal as a unitary State respecting island and local autonomy and decentralization. “Unitary” does not mean every decision is made by national Government. “Autonomy” does not mean sovereign independence. Always identify the scale: country, autonomous region, municipality or parish (freguesia). Then ask whether the body represents and deliberates, implements policies or has another role. This double reading helps distinguish similar names such as national Parliament, Legislative Assembly and municipal assembly.

Archipelago autonomy

The Azores and Madeira have political-administrative statutes and self-government organs. Article 225 connects autonomy with democratic participation, regional development and national unity, within the Constitution and without affecting State sovereignty. Article 231 defines the Legislative Assembly and Regional Government. The Assembly is elected by direct, secret suffrage with proportional representation. The Regional Government is politically accountable to it. Its president is appointed by the Representative of the Republic considering election results; other members are appointed on that president’s proposal.

Representative and regional categories

Under Article 230, the President of the Republic appoints and removes the Representative of the Republic after consulting Government. This is not another name for the Regional Government president or elected Assembly. Island autonomous regions also differ from mainland administrative regions provided in Articles 236 and 255. A category’s presence in the constitutional text does not prove it has been established and is operating. This guide teaches that distinction without presenting hypothetical mainland organs as current elected institutions.

Local authorities and parishes

Article 235 gives local authorities representative organs pursuing their populations’ own interests. Law regulates tasks and powers in accordance with decentralization. They have their own assets and finances; Article 239 provides a deliberative assembly and a collegiate executive accountable to it. Parties, coalitions or groups of citizen electors may submit candidacies under law. In a parish, the assembly deliberates and the board executes. Law may replace the assembly with an electors’ plenary in parishes with small populations.

Municipality and recap

In a municipality, the municipal assembly is deliberative and the municipal executive is collegiate. Article 251 includes directly elected members and parish-board presidents in the assembly, with the former outnumbering the latter. Do not call every assembly a municipal executive. Is a parish board the national Parliament? Is Regional Government accountable to the municipal assembly? Is the Representative elected as a regional deputy? No. Pair level with function and reconstruct the pairs without looking. Practise against the articles as independent educational study without inferring specific administrative procedures.

Loading your progress…

Practise this topic