Assembly of the Republic (Portugal)

Unicameral legislature of Portugal

Assembly of the Republic

Assembleia da República

17th legislature

Emblem and Flag of the Assembly

Logo of the Assembly

Type
Type|

Unicameral

Term limits

| None
History
Founded| April 25, 1976 (1976-04-25)
Preceded by| Constituent Assembly

New session started

| March 10, 2024 (2024-03-10)
Leadership

President

José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, PPD/PSD

Vice-Presidents

* Teresa Morais (PPD/PSD)
* Diogo Pacheco de Amorim (CH)
* Marcos Perestrello (PS)
* Rodrigo Saraiva (IL)

Structure
Seats| 230

Political groups

| Government (91)

* PPD/PSD (89)
* CDS–PP (2)

Opposition (139)

* CH (60)
* PS (58)
* IL (9)
* LIVRE (6)
* PCP (3)
* BE (1)
* PAN (1)
* JPP (1)

Length of term

| 4 years
Elections

Voting system

* Closed list proportional representation
* D'Hondt method

First election

| 25 April 1976

Last election

| 18 May 2025

Next election

| By 14 October 2029
Meeting place
São Bento Palace, Lisbon, Portugal
Website
www.parlamento.pt
Constitution
Constitution of Portugal \- Part 3 - Title 3

Politics of Portugal

Constitution

Executive

* President (list)

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
* Prime Minister (list)

Luís Montenegro
* Cabinet

Legislature

* Assembly of the Republic

President: José Pedro Aguiar-Branco

Judiciary

* Constitutional Court
* Supreme Court of Justice
* Court of Auditors
* Supreme Administrative Court

Elections

* Recent elections

* Presidential: 2016
* 2021
* 2026

* Legislative: 2024
* 2025
* next

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* European: 2014
* 2019
* 2024

* Political parties

Politicians

Administrative divisions

* Districts
* Autonomous regions
* Municipalities (list)
* Freguesias (list)

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The Assembly of the Republic (Portuguese: Assembleia da República, pronounced [ɐsẽˈblɐjɐ ðɐ ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ]), commonly referred to as simply Parliament (Portuguese: Parlamento), is the unicameral parliament of Portugal. According to the Constitution of Portugal, the parliament "is the representative assembly of all Portuguese citizens". The constitution names the assembly as one of the country's organs of supreme authority.

It meets in São Bento Palace, the historical site of an old Benedictine monastery. The palace has been the seat of the Portuguese parliaments since 1834 (Cortes until 1910, Congress from 1911 to 1926 and National Assembly from 1933 to 1974).

## Powers and duties of the Assembly

[edit]

The Assembly of the Republic's powers derive from its ability to dismiss a government through a vote of no confidence, to change the country's laws, and to amend the constitution (which requires a majority of two-thirds). In addition to these key powers, the constitution grants to the Assembly extensive legislative powers and substantial control over the budget, the right to authorize the government to raise taxes and grant loans, the power to ratify treaties and other kinds of international agreements, and the duty to approve or reject decisions by the President of the Republic to declare war and make peace. The assembly also appoints many members of important state institutions, such as ten of the thirteen members of the Constitutional Court and seven of the sixteen members of the Council of State.

The constitution requires the assembly to quickly review and approve an incoming government's program. Parliamentary rules allow the assembly to call for committees of inquiry to examine the government's actions. Political opposition represented in the assembly has the power to review the cabinet's actions, even though it is unlikely that the actions can be reversed. Party groups can also call for interpellations that require debates about specific government policies.

## Structure

[edit]

The assembly has 230 MPs. It originally consisted of 250 MPs, but the constitutional reforms of 1989 reduced its number to between 180 and 230. Members are elected by popular vote for legislative terms of four years from the country's twenty-two constituencies. There are eighteen in mainland Portugal corresponding to each district, one each for the autonomous regions of Azores (Portuguese: Açores) and Madeira, and two for Portuguese people living abroad (one covering European countries and one covering the rest of the world). Except for the constituencies for Portuguese living abroad, which are fixed at two representatives each, the number of MPs is determined by the number of voters registered in a constituency, using the D'Hondt method of proportional representation. Constituencies vary greatly in size; from as large as Lisbon, which elects 48 representatives, to as small as Portalegre, which elects just two.

For the 2025 legislative elections, the MPs were distributed by constituencies as follows:[1]

Constituency | Number of MPs | Map

|
|

Lisbon | 48  |
Porto | 40
Braga and Setúbal | 19 each
Aveiro | 16
Leiria | 10
Coimbra, Faro and Santarém | 9 each
Viseu | 8
Madeira | 6
Azores, Viana do Castelo and Vila Real | 5 each
Castelo Branco | 4
Beja, Bragança, Évora and Guarda | 3 each
Portalegre, Europe and Outside Europe | 2 each

According to the constitution, members of the assembly represent the entire country, not the constituency from which they are elected. This directive has been reinforced in practice by the strong role of political parties in regard to members of the assembly. Party leadership, for example, determines in which areas candidates are to run for office, thus often weakening members' ties to their constituencies. Moreover, members of the assembly are expected to vote with their party and to work within parliamentary groups based on party membership. Party discipline is strong, and insubordinate members can be coerced through a variety of means.[2] A further obstacle to members' independence is that their bills first have to be submitted to the parliamentary groups, and it is these groups' leaders who set the assembly's agenda.

The President of the Assembly of the Republic is the second hierarchical figure in the Portuguese state, after the President of the Portuguese Republic, and is elected by secret vote of the members of parliament. The President of the Assembly is aided by four vice presidents, nominated by the other parties represented in the parliament, and is usually the speaker.[3] When they are not present, one of the vice presidents takes the role of speaker. When the President of the Republic is, for any reason, unable to perform the job, the President of the Assembly of the Republic becomes the substitute.

## Current composition

[edit]

Party  | Parliamentary group leader  | Seats  | %

|
|
|

| Social Democratic Party | Hugo Soares | 89  | 38.7
| CHEGA | Pedro Pinto | 60  | 26.1
| Socialist Party | Eurico Brilhante Dias | 58  | 25.2
| Liberal Initiative | Mariana Leitão | 9  | 3.9
| LIVRE | Isabel Mendes Lopes | 6  | 2.6
| Portuguese Communist Party | Paula Santos | 3  | 1.3
| CDS - People's Party | Paulo Núncio | 2  | 0.9
| Left Bloc | Mariana Mortágua | 1  | 0.4
| People-Animals-Nature | Inês Sousa Real | 1  | 0.4
| Together for the People | Filipe Sousa | 1  | 0.4
Total | 230 | 100.0

## Latest election result

[edit]

Main article: 2025 Portuguese legislative election

Summary of the 18 May 2025 Assembly of the Republic elections results

Parties | Votes  | %  | ±pp swing | MPs
2024 | 2025  | ±  | %  | ±
|  | AD – PSD/CDS Coalition (PSD/CDS–PP)[a] | 1,971,602 | 31.20 | 3.0 | 78 | 88 | 10 | 38.26 | 4.4
| PSD/CDS/PPM coalition (PSD/CDS–PP/PPM)[b] | 36,886 | 0.58 | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1.30 | 0.4
Total AD – PSD/CDS Coalition[a] | 2,008,488 | 31.78 | 2.9 | 80 | 91 | 11 | 39.57 | 4.8
| Socialist | 1,442,546 | 22.83 | 5.2 | 78 | 58 | 20 | 25.22 | 8.7
| CHEGA | 1,438,554 | 22.76 | 4.7 | 50 | 60 | 10 | 26.09 | 4.4
| Liberal Initiative | 338,974 | 5.36 | 0.3 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 3.91 | 0.4
| LIVRE | 257,291 | 4.07 | 0.8 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.61 | 0.9
| Unitary Democratic Coalition | 183,686 | 2.91 | 0.2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1.30 | 0.4
| Left Bloc | 125,808 | 1.99 | 2.5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0.43 | 1.8
| People–Animals–Nature | 86,930 | 1.38 | 0.6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.43 | 0.0
| National Democratic Alternative | 81,660 | 1.29 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| Together for the People | 20,900 | 0.33 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.43 | 0.4
| React, Include, Recycle | 14,021 | 0.22 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| Volt Portugal | 12,150 | 0.19 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| Portuguese Workers' Communist | 11,896 | 0.19 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| New Right | 10,216 | 0.16 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| Rise Up | 9,046 | 0.14 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| Liberal Social | 7,332 | 0.12 | — | — | 0 | — | 0.00 | —
| People's Monarchist | 5,616 | 0.09 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| We, the Citizens! | 3,304 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| Earth[c] | 478 | 0.01 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
| Labour | 425 | 0.01 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0
Total valid | 6,059,321 | 95.88 | 0.2 | 230 | 230 | 0 | 100.00 | 0.0
Blank ballots  | 87,654 | 1.39 | 0.0 |
Invalid ballots  | 172,994 | 2.74 | 0.2
Total | 6,319,969 | 100.00 |
Registered voters/turnout  | 10,848,816 | 58.25 | 1.6
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[4]

## Elected Composition of the Assembly of the Republic since 1975

[edit]

São Bento Palace, seat of the Assembly of the Republic Legislatures since 1975  Election  | No.  | Parliament  | Parties represented  | Term

|
|
|
|

Government | Opposition
Constituent
1975 |  |  PS (116)
PPD (81)
PCP (30)
CDS (16)
MDP (5)
UDP (1)
ADIM (1)  | 1975–1976
1976 | 1st |  |  PS (107)  |  PPD (73)
CDS (42)
PCP (40)
UDP (1)  | 1976–1978
PS (107)
CDS (42)  |  PPD/PSD (73)
PCP (40)
UDP (1)  | 1978
Presidential appointed governments  |  PS (107)
PPD/PSD (73)
CDS (42)
PCP (40)
UDP (1)  | 1978–1979
1979 |  |  PPD/PSD (80)
CDS (43)
PPM (5)  |  PS (74)
PCP (44)
MDP (3)
UDP (1)  | 1979–1980
1980 | 2nd |  |  PPD/PSD (82)
CDS (46)
PPM (6)  |  PS (66)
PCP (39)
UEDS (4)
ASDI (4)
MDP (2)
UDP (1)  | 1980–1983
1983 | 3rd |  |  PS (94)
PPD/PSD (75)
UEDS (4)
ASDI (3)  |  PCP (41)
CDS (30)
MDP (3)  | 1983–1985
1985 | 4th |  |  PPD/PSD (88)
PRD (45)[d]
CDS (22)[d] |  PS (57)
PCP (35)
MDP (3)  | 1985–1987
1987 | 5th |  |  PPD/PSD (148)  |  PS (60)
PCP (29)
PRD (7)
CDS (4)
PEV (2)  | 1987–1991
1991 | 6th |  |  PPD/PSD (135)  |  PS (72)
PCP (15)
CDS (5)
PEV (2)
PSN (1)  | 1991–1995
1995 | 7th |  |  PS (112)  |  PPD/PSD (88)
CDS–PP (15)
PCP (13)
PEV (2)  | 1995–1999
1999 | 8th |  |  PS (115)  |  PPD/PSD (81)
CDS–PP (15)
PCP (15)
PEV (2)
BE (2)  | 1999–2002
2002 | 9th |  |  PPD/PSD (105)
CDS–PP (14)  |  PS (96)
PCP (10)
BE (3)
PEV (2)  | 2002–2005
2005 | 10th |  |  PS (121)  |  PPD/PSD (75)
CDS–PP (12)
PCP (12)
BE (8)
PEV (2)
| 2005–2009
2009 | 11th |  |  PS (97)  |  PPD/PSD (81)
CDS–PP (21)
BE (16)
PCP (13)
PEV (2)  | 2009–2011
2011 | 12th |  |  PPD/PSD (108)
CDS–PP (24)  |  PS (74)
PCP (14)
BE (8)
PEV (2)  | 2011–2015
2015 | 13th |  |  PPD/PSD (89)
CDS–PP (18)  |  PS (86)
BE (19)
PCP (15)
PEV (2)
PAN (1)  | 2015
PS (86)
BE (19)[d]
PCP (15)[d]
PEV (2)[d] |  PPD/PSD (89)
CDS–PP (18)
PAN (1)  | 2015–2019
2019 | 14th |  |  PS (108)  |  PPD/PSD (79)
BE (19)
PCP (10)
CDS–PP (5)
PAN (4)
PEV (2)
CH (1)
IL (1)
L (1)  | 2019–2022
2022 | 15th |  |  PS (120)  |  PPD/PSD (77)
CH (12)
IL (8)
PCP (6)
BE (5)
PAN (1)
L (1)  | 2022–2024
2024 | 16th |  |  PPD/PSD (78)
CDS–PP (2)  |  PS (78)
CH (50)
IL (8)
BE (5)
PCP (4)
L (4)
PAN (1)  | 2024–2025
2025 | 17th |  |  PPD/PSD (89)
CDS–PP (2)  |  CH (60)
PS (58)
IL (9)
L (6)
PCP (3)
BE (1)
PAN (1)
JPP (1)  | 2025–

### Evolution graphic

[edit]

100

1975

1976

1979

1980

1983

1985

1987

1991

1995

1999

2002

2005

2009

2011

2015

2019

2022

2024

2025

* CH
* ADIM
* PPM
* CDS-PP
* IL
* PSN
* MPT
* PPD/PSD
* ASDI
* PRD
* JPP
* PAN
* PS
* UEDS
* L
* PCP
* PEV
* BE
* MDP
* UDP

## Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic

[edit]

Main article: List of Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal)

## See also

[edit]

* São Bento Palace
* ARtv (Portugal)
* Legislative Assembly of Madeira
* Legislative Assembly of the Azores

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b Compared with the 2024 Democratic Alliance (PSD/CDS/PPM)
2. ^ Only in Azores.
3. ^ Compared with the 2024 Alternative 21 coalition (MPT/Alliance).
4. ^ a b c d e Confidence & supply gov't

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Mapa Oficial n.º 1/2025" [Official Map no. 1/2025] (PDF) (in Portuguese). National Elections Commission of Portugal. 24 March 2025.
2. ^ "Novo na AR, o PAN defende o fim da disciplina de voto" (in Portuguese). Observador. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
3. ^ "Primeira alteração ao Regimento da Assembleia da República - Secção I" (in Portuguese). Diário da República. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
4. ^ "Mapa Oficial n.º 2-A/2025, de 31 de maio" (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Diário da República. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.

## External links

[edit]

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