In Spain, an autonomous community is the first sub-national level of political and administrative division, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy of the nationalities and regions that make up Spain.
Politics in Portugal operates as a unitary multi-party semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Portugal is the head of government, and the President of Portugal is the non-executive head of state which, although it is a somewhat ceremonial figure, has some significant political powers they exercise often. Executive power is exercised by the Government, whose leader is the prime minister. Legislative power is primarily vested in the Assembly of the Republic, although the government is also able to legislate on certain matters. The Judiciary of Portugal is independent of the executive and the legislature. The President exerts a sort of "moderating power", not easily classified into any of the traditional three branches of government.
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which are autonomous regions with special status. Under the Constitution of Italy, each region is an autonomous entity with defined powers. With the exception of the Aosta Valley and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (2018–2020), each region is divided into a number of provinces.
The president of the Republic of Costa Rica is the head of state and head of government of Costa Rica. The president is currently elected in direct elections for a period of four years, which is not immediately renewable. Two vice presidents are elected in the same ticket with the president. The president appoints the Council of Ministers. Due to the abolition of the military of Costa Rica in 1948, the president is not a commander-in-chief, unlike the norm in most other countries, although the Constitution does describe him as commander-in-chief of the civil defense public forces.
The Spanish Constitution is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted after its approval in a constitutional referendum; it represents the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy.
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary laws of a government.
Elections in Portugal are free, fair, and regularly held, in accordance with election law.
The Constitution of the Italian Republic was ratified on 22 December 1947 by the Constituent Assembly, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against, before coming into force on 1 January 1948, one century after the previous Constitution of the Kingdom of Italy had been enacted. The text, which has since been amended sixteen times, was promulgated in an extraordinary edition of Gazzetta Ufficiale on 27 December 1947.
The Council of State is a body established by the Portuguese Constitution to advise the President of the Republic in the exercise of many of his or her discretionary powers.
The two Autonomous Regions of Portugal from 1999 are the Azores and Madeira. Together with Continental Portugal, they form the Portuguese Republic.
The Law of Portugal is part of the family of what in English-speaking countries are sometimes called the "civil law" legal systems, referring to legal systems that developed at least in conversation or close ties with systems influenced by the ius commune medieval European tradition of Roman law. As such, it has many common features with the legal systems found in most of the countries in Continental Europe.
The political status of the Azores is defined by the Political-Administrative Statute of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, which acts as the standard legal constitutional framework for the autonomy of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It defines the scope of the autonomous regional government and the structure and functioning of the region's organs of government within the framework of the 1976 Constitution of Portugal. The autonomous region of Madeira has a similar status.
The Constitutional law on the Modernisation of the Institutions of the Fifth Republic was enacted into French constitutional law by the Parliament of France in July 2008, to reform state institutions.
The Statute of Sicily establishes the rule of Sicily as the Autonomous Region within the political unity of the Italian State and was issued by King Umberto II of Savoy, on 15 May 1946, after a separatist clash provoked by the via Maqueda massacre in 1944. Its enactment has thus preceded the birth of the Italian Constitution, which the statute would become an integral part on February 26, 1948.
The Azores Regional Election (1976) was an election held on 27 June 1976 for the first Legislative Assembly of the Portuguese Autonomous Region of the Azores.
The superior courts of justice, or high courts of justice, are courts within the judicial system of Spain, whose territorial scope covers an autonomous community, as laid down in the Organic Law of Judicial Power.
The present Portuguese order of precedence is defined by the Law of the Precedences of Protocol of the Portuguese State of 25th August 2006. This defines the following precedence:
- The President of the Republic
- The President of the Assembly of the Republic
- The Prime Minister
- The President of the Supreme Court and the President of the Constitutional Court
- The President of the Supreme Administrative Court and the President of the Court of Auditors
- Former Presidents of the Republic
- Ministers of the Government of Portugal
- The Leader of the Opposition
- Vice-presidents of the Assembly of the Republic and Presidents of the parliamentary groups
- The Attorney-general of the Republic
- The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
- The Ombudsman
- Representatives of the Republic to the Autonomous Regions
- Presidents of the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Regions
- Presidents of the Regional Governments
- Leaders of other parties with seats in the Assembly of the Republic
- Former Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic and former Prime Ministers
- Councilors of State
- Presidents of Permanent Commissions of the Assembly of the Republic
- Secretaries and under-secretaries of State of the Government of Portugal
- Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
- Members of the Assembly of the Republic
- Members of the European Parliament
- Marshals and Admirals of the fleet
- Chiefs of the Civilian House and Military House of the President of the Republic
- Presidents of the Economic and Social Council, of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities and of the National Association of Freguesias
- The Governor of the Bank of Portugal
- Chancellors of Honorific Orders of Portugal
- Vice-presidents of the Supreme Judges Council
- Judges of the Constitutional Court
- Judges of the Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court, and Court of Audits
- Regional secretaries and under-secretaries of the Governments of the Autonomous Regions
- Members of the Legislative Assemblies of Autonomous Regions
- The Commandant-general of the National Republican Guard and the National Director of the Public Security Police
- Secretaries-general of the Presidency of the Republic, of the Assembly of the Republic, of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- The Chief of Protocol
- Presidents of intermediate level courts (Relação), Presidents of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities and of the Coordinator Council of the Polytechnics, leaders of the Bar Associations and Presidents of professional associations of public law
- Presidents of the Portuguese Academy of History and the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, Rectors of universities and Presidents of Polytechnics
- Members of the councils of the Honorific Orders of Portugal
- Judges of intermediate level courts and deputies attorneys-general, vice-rectors of universities and vice-presidents of polytechnics
- Presidents of the municipal councils (Mayors)
- Presidents of the municipal assemblies
- Civil governors of districts
- Chiefs of Staff of the President of the Republic, President of the Assembly of the Republic, and Prime Minister
- Presidents, members and secretaries-general of councils, national councils, superior councils, oversight councils, national commissions, high authorities, high commissioners, oversight committees, by order of seniority of the respective institution, directors-general and presidents of public institutions, by order of their respective ministries, the head of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia, and the President of the Portuguese Red Cross
- Admirals and general officers with command functions, by order of military rank, operational commanders and commanders of military zone, maritime zone, and air zone, of the Autonomous Regions of Azores and Madeira
- Directors of the National Defense Institute and the Joint Command and Staff College, commanders of the Military Academy, Naval School, and Air Force Academy, admirals and general officers of 3 and 2 stars
- Chiefs of staff of members of government
- Deputies directors-general and regional directors
- Judges and attorneys-general
- Aldermans (vereadores) of municipal councils
- Aides of the President of the Republic, of the President of the Assembly of the Republic, and of the Prime Minister
- Presidents of Civil Parishes
- Members of municipal assemblies
- Presidents of parish assemblies and members of civil parishes and parish assemblies
- Directors of service
- Chiefs of division
- Aides of members of government
The Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira is the local government of this Portuguese autonomous region.
The International Business Center of Madeira (IBCM) or Madeira International Business Centre (MIBC), formally known as the Madeira Free Trade Zone, is a set of tax benefits authorised by Decree-Law 500/80 in 1980, legislated in 1986, and amended throughout the years by the Portuguese government to favor the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Its objectives are to attract foreign investment to the region and internationalise Portuguese companies by allowing them to benefit one of the lowest corporate taxation rates in Europe and in the OECD member countries.
The Medal of Merit of the Autonomous Region of Madeira is the highest honour given by the autonomous region. The medal is awarded by the Legislative Assembly of Madeira to 'natural or legal entities, public or private, national or foreign, living or posthumously, who have rendered outstanding services to the Region or who, for any other reason, the Region understands that must be distinguish ”.
