The
Government is one of the four sovereignty organs of the Portuguese Republic. It is also the organ that conducts politics in general in the country and is also the superior body in
public administrationPublic Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
. It is called
Constitutional because it is so defined in the Portuguese Constitution.
The government guides its actions by the governmental program and implements it in the
government budgetA government budget is a legal document that is often passed by the legislature, and approved by the chief executive-or president. For example, only certain types of revenue may be imposed and collected...
that is submitted to
Assembly of the RepublicThe Assembly of the Republic is the Portuguese parliament. It is located in a historical building in Lisbon, referred to as Palácio de São Bento, the site of an old Benedictine monastery...
each year, in the laws that it proposes, in the decrees that it issues in the
Portuguese Council of MinistersThe Cabinet of Portugal is a collegial body presided over by the Prime Minister. All ministers are members of the council of ministers, and when the prime minister finds it fit, state secretaries can also attend its meetings.- Functions :The Council of Ministers discusses and approves bills to be...
, and in individual decisions made by its members.
There are no guarantees that the government will stick to its government program, but if it fails to do so, its actions will be judged by the citizens in forthcoming elections.
The government may also be questioned by the other three sovereignty organs: the
PresidentPortugal has been a republic since 1910, and since that time the head of state has been the president, whose official title is President of the Portuguese Republic ....
, the
Assembly of the RepublicThe Assembly of the Republic is the Portuguese parliament. It is located in a historical building in Lisbon, referred to as Palácio de São Bento, the site of an old Benedictine monastery...
and the courts. The President may veto governmental decrees and a government bill may fail to pass in the Assembly of the Republic, where a
motion of no confidenceA motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
may be approved.
Functions
The government has political, legislative and administrative functions. These include, among other things, the power to negotiate with other countries or international organizations, to submit bills to the
Assembly of the RepublicThe Assembly of the Republic is the Portuguese parliament. It is located in a historical building in Lisbon, referred to as Palácio de São Bento, the site of an old Benedictine monastery...
, to issue decrees and to take administrative decisions.
Formation
After the
electionsElections in Portugal gives information on election and election results in Portugal.Only the elections since the Carnation Revolution of 1974 are listed here. During the period encompassing the Constitutional Monarchy and the First Republic there were also elections, but only for a limited...
for the
Assembly of the RepublicThe Assembly of the Republic is the Portuguese parliament. It is located in a historical building in Lisbon, referred to as Palácio de São Bento, the site of an old Benedictine monastery...
or the resignation of the previous government, the
PresidentPortugal has been a republic since 1910, and since that time the head of state has been the president, whose official title is President of the Portuguese Republic ....
listens to the parties in the Assembly of the Republic and invites someone to form a government.
The
Prime Minister chooses the persons that he or she finds fit. Then the President swears in the Prime Minister and the Government.
Composition
The government comprises the Prime Minister, other ministers and the state secretaries (junior ministers). Each minister heads a ministry and has assigned to him or her one or more state secretaries.