president of Portugal

The Portuguese Third Republic is a semi-presidential system. Despite being a rather ceremonial figure, unlike most European presidents, who are at large ceremonial figures, the Portuguese President is vested with more extensive powers. Although the prime minister and parliament oversee and direct much of Portugal's actual governmental affairs, the president wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy, however, always on the advice of the Government and the approval of Parliament. The president is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, holds the nation's most senior office, and outranks all other politicians.{{Cite web|url=https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/lexionario/termo/presidente-republica|title=Presidente da República |publisher=Diário da República |access-date=27 February 2024}}

Prior to the Carnation Revolution, the powers of the presidency varied widely; some presidents were virtual dictators (such as Pais, and Carmona in his early years), while others were little more than figureheads (such as Carmona in his later years, Craveiro Lopes, and Américo Tomás). During the Estado Novo, the president was nominally vested with near-dictatorial powers, but in practice supreme power was held by the President of the Council of Ministers (António de Oliveira Salazar and Marcelo Caetano).{{Cite web|url=https://ensina.rtp.pt/dossie/os-presidentes-da-republica/os-presidentes-da-ditadura-nacional-e-do-estado-novo/|title=Os Presidentes da Ditadura Nacional e do Estado Novo|publisher=RTP |access-date=27 February 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://ensina.rtp.pt/dossie/os-presidentes-da-republica/os-presidentes-da-1a-republica/|title=Os Presidentes da 1.ª República|publisher=RTP |access-date=27 February 2024}}

The president's greatest power is his ability to appoint the prime minister. However, since the Assembly of the Republic has the sole power to dismiss the prime minister's government, the prime minister named by the president must have the confidence of a majority of representatives in the assembly, otherwise the prime minister may face a motion of no confidence. The president has the discretionary power to dissolve parliament when he/she sees fit (colloquially known as the "atomic bomb" in Portugal),{{Cite web|url=https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/lexionario/termo/dissolucao-assembleia-republica|title=Dissolução da Assembleia da República |publisher=Diário da República |access-date=27 February 2024}} and President Jorge Sampaio made use of this prerogative in late 2004 to remove the controversial government of Pedro Santana Lopes, despite the absolute majority of deputies supporting the government.{{Cite web|date=30 November 2004|url=https://www.publico.pt/2004/11/30/politica/noticia/jorge-sampaio-vai-dissolver-assembleia-da-republica-1209724|title=Jorge Sampaio vai dissolver Assembleia da República |publisher=Público |access-date=27 February 2024}}

In 2003, President Sampaio also intervened to limit the Portuguese participation in the Iraq War – as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces he forbade the deployment of the Portuguese Army in a war that he personally disagreed with, clashing with the then–prime minister José Manuel Barroso.{{Cite web|date=19 March 2003|url=https://www.publico.pt/2003/03/19/politica/noticia/sampaio-reafirma-ilegitimidade-da-ofensiva-militar-contra-o-iraque-285901|title=Sampaio reafirma ilegitimidade da ofensiva militar contra o Iraque|publisher=Público |access-date=27 February 2024}} Because of this, the Government eventually deployed 128 members of the National Republican Guard (GNR) to Iraq from 2003 to 2005, this being possible because the GNR, despite being a military force, was not part of the Armed Forces.{{Cite web|date=8 May 2003|url=https://arquivos.rtp.pt/conteudos/militares-portugueses-partem-para-o-iraque/|title=Militares Portugueses partem para o Iraque|publisher=RTP |access-date=27 February 2024}}

The constitution grants the following powers to the president:{{Cite web |year=2005 |url=http://www.en.parlamento.pt/Legislation/CRP/Constitution7th.pdf |title=Constitution of the Portuguese Republic |publisher=Assembly of the Republic |access-date=6 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222446/http://www.en.parlamento.pt/Legislation/CRP/Constitution7th.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}

• The President of the Republic exercises the functions of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Grand Master of the Three Orders, and appoints and dismisses, on a proposal from the Government, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the heads of General Staff of the three branches of the Armed Forces.
• The President of the Republic can dissolve the Assembly of the Republic, which implies the need to call new legislative elections and, after these have been held, the resignation of the Government.
• The President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister taking into account the electoral results and appoints the remaining members of the Government on the proposal of the Prime Minister. The President can, on the other hand, dismiss the Government when this becomes necessary to ensure the regular functioning of democratic institutions.
• The governing bodies of the autonomous regions may be dissolved by the President of the Republic, for carrying out serious acts contrary to the Constitution.
• The President of the Republic declares the state of siege and emergency, after hearing the Government and under authorization from the Assembly of the Republic.
• Upon a proposal from the Government and with authorization from the Assembly of the Republic, the President of the Republic may declare war in the event of effective or imminent aggression and make peace.
• The President of the Republic promulgates or signs and, consequently, can veto the promulgation or signature of laws, decree-laws, regulatory decrees and other Government decrees.
• In the domain of his competences in international relations, the President of the Republic ratifies international treaties.
• The President of the Republic decides on the convening of the referendum whose holding is proposed by the Assembly of the Republic.
• The President of the Republic may request the Constitutional Court to pre-empt the constitutionality of norms contained in international conventions or decrees that have been sent to him for promulgation as an organic law, law or decree-law.
• The President of the Republic appoints and exonerates, in some cases on a proposal from the Government, holders of important State bodies such as the Representatives of the Republic for the autonomous regions, the President of the Court of Auditors and the Attorney General of the Republic, five members of the Council of State and two members of the Superior Council of the Judiciary.
• The President of the Republic appoints the ambassadors and extraordinary envoys, on a proposal from the Government, and accredits the foreign diplomatic representatives.
• The President of the Republic, after hearing the Government, pardons and commutes sentences.

Under the Portuguese Constitution adopted in 1976, in the wake of the 1974 Carnation Revolution, the president is elected to a five-year term. In order to be eligible, any citizen has to be of Portuguese origin and above 35 years old. He may be reelected any number of times, but not more than twice in a row. The official residence of the Portuguese president is the Belém Palace in Lisbon.{{Cite web

|url= https://www.presidencia.pt/en/president-of-the-republic/visit/belem-national-palace/

|title= Belem National Palace

|publisher= Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

|quote= Belém Palace has been the Official Residence of the President of the Republic since the establishment of the Republic in 1910.

|access-date= 2023-11-13

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231009204646/https://www.presidencia.pt/en/president-of-the-republic/visit/belem-national-palace/

|archive-date= 2023-10-09

}}

The president is elected in a two-round system: if no candidate reaches 50% of the votes during the first round, the two candidates with the most votes face each other in a second round held two weeks later. However, the second round has only been needed once, during the 1986 presidential election. To date, all of the elected presidents since the Carnation Revolution have served for two consecutive terms, and presidents consistently rank as the most popular political figure in the country. During his time in office, however, the popularity of former president Aníbal Cavaco Silva plummeted, making him the second-least popular political figure in the country, just above the then-prime minister, and the first Portuguese president after 1974 to have a negative popularity.{{cite news |author=Francisco Teixeira |date=21 April 2011 |title=Cavaco é o primeiro PR com popularidade negativa |url=https://economico.sapo.pt/noticias/cavaco-e-o-primeiro-pr-com-popularidade-negativa_116487.html |language=pt |newspaper=Diário Econónmico |location=Lisbon |access-date=16 October 2016 }} By 2024, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also displayed negative popularity ratings.{{cite news |author=Ana Sá Lopes |date=15 July 2024 |title=Marcelo em baixa, mas melhor do que Cavaco |url=https://www.publico.pt/2024/07/15/politica/noticia/marcelo-baixa-melhor-cavaco-2097674 |language=pt |newspaper=Público |location=Lisbon |access-date=17 July 2024 }}

Under article 132 of the Constitution, if the president dies or becomes incapacitated while in office, the president of the Assembly assumes the office with restricted powers until a new president can be inaugurated following fresh elections.

{{Main|Belém Palace}}

File:Lisbon, Belém Palace.JPG|Facade of the Belém Palace.

File:Gabinete de Trabalho do Presidente, Palácio de Belém (2016-10-05) 01.png|Presidential Office.

File:Sala das Bicas - Palácio Nacional de Belém 09.jpg|Bicas room.

Belém Palace is the official residence of the President of the Portuguese Republic since 1910. Built in the 16th century by a high ranking diplomat named Manuel de Portugal, was bought by King John V in the 18th century and served as one of the residence of the Royal Family until the early 20th century.{{Cite web|url=https://www.presidencia.pt/presidente-da-republica/visitar/palacio-de-belem/|title=Palácio de Belém |publisher=Presidency of the Republic |access-date=27 February 2024}}

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, current President, lives in the palace.{{Cite web|date=14 March 2021|url=https://sicnoticias.pt/pais/2021-03-14-Um-dia-na-vida-do-Presidente-Marcelo|title=Um dia na vida do Presidente Marcelo |publisher=SIC Notícias |access-date=27 February 2024}}

{{Main|2021 Portuguese presidential election}}

{{election table|title=Summary of the 24 January 2021 Portuguese presidential election results}}

|-

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;" colspan="2" rowspan="2"|Candidates

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|Supporting parties

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" colspan="2"|First round

|-

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;"|Votes

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;"|%

|-

|style="width: 10px" bgcolor=#FF9900 align="center" |

|align=left|Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa

|align=left|Social Democratic Party, People's Party

|align="right" |2,531,692

|align="right" |60.66

|-

|style="width: 5px" bgcolor=#D02090 align="center" |

|align=left|Ana Gomes

|align=left|Independent supported by People–Animals–Nature, LIVRE

|align="right" |540,823

|align="right" |12.96

|-

|style="width: 5px" bgcolor=#202056 align="center" |

|align=left|André Ventura

|align=left|CHEGA

|align="right" |497,746

|align="right" |11.93

|-

|style="width: 5px" bgcolor=red align="center" |

|align=left|João Ferreira

|align=left|Portuguese Communist Party, Ecologist Party "The Greens"

|align="right" |179,764

|align="right" |4.31

|-

|style="width: 5px" bgcolor={{party color|Left Bloc (Portugal)}} align="center" |

|align=left|Marisa Matias

|align=left|Left Bloc, Socialist Alternative Movement

|align="right" |165,127

|align="right" |3.96

|-

|style="width: 5px" bgcolor=#00ADEF align="center" |

|align=left|Tiago Mayan Gonçalves

|align=left|Liberal Initiative

|align="right" |134,991

|align="right" |3.23

|-

|style="width: 5px" bgcolor=LightSeaGreen align="center" |

|align=left|Vitorino Silva

|align=left|React, Include, Recycle

|align="right" |123,031

|align="right" |2.95

|-

|colspan="3" align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total valid

|width="65" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|4,173,174

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.00

|-

|align=right colspan="3"|Blank ballots

|width="65" align="right" |47,164

|width="40" align="right" |1.11

|-

|align=right colspan="3" |{{efn|Includes votes for candidate Eduardo Baptista.}}Invalid ballots

|width="65" align="right"|38,018

|width="40" align="right"|0.89

|-

|colspan="3" align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total

|width="65" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|4,258,356

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|

|-

|colspan=3|Registered voters/turnout

||10,847,434||39.26

|-

|colspan=5 align=left|Source: [https://dre.pt/application/conteudo/156971146 Comissão Nacional de Eleições]

|}

File:Pt car.jpg|Official Presidential car, model Mercedes-Benz S-Class during 2010.

File:Dassault Falcon 50, Portugal - Air Force JP6236441.jpg|Dassault Falcon 50.

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{{main list|List of state visits made by the President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa}}

• Politics of Portugal

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|www.presidencia.pt}}

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{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:President Of Portugal}}

Category:1910 establishments in Portugal