Parliamentary elections take place in Portugal today. Unlike other countries supposedly, the president has the power to appoint a prime minister and dissolve parliament. Is he a delegate?
Since 1974, the political scene In Portugal has been dominated by the socialist party and the social democratic party but have been criticised for not being what they seem.
The president of Portugal since 2016 is Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. A presidencial system took over from the monarchy in 1910.
In 1995, Portugal was involved in Schengen area politics and was one of the founding members of the euro and eurozone. In 2004, the prime minister of Portugal became president of the european commission, the executive branch of the eu.
The treaty of Lisbon was signed in the Jeronimos Monastry in Lisbon in 2007 by member states. It was also known as the reform treaty; reforming as it did, all previous eu treaties. Ireland was the only country to hold a referendum about whether to sign, but a no vote was not substantiated by the taoiseach who called for a second referendum. The president of Ireland signed the reform treaty into law in 2009.
The treaty marked the end of negotiations that began in 2001 and has many amendments. Human rights and banking legislation in particular have suffered, making the treaty unpopular. This with particular regard to the seizing, freezing and blocking of assets.
The treaty was signed by the queen and the UK foreign secretary. The ratification of the treaty by Gordon Brown and the member states has been described as a gross impertinence and absolutely atrocious behaviour.