Prime Minister of Portugal

Last updated
Prime Minister of the
Portuguese Republic
Primeiro-Ministro da
República Portuguesa
Logo da Republica Portuguesa (2023).png
Government logo
Flag of the Prime Minister of Portugal.svg
Antonio Costa 2017.jpg
Incumbent
Antonio Costa
since 26 November 2015
Council of Ministers of Portugal
Government of Portugal
Style Mr Prime Minister (informal)
His Excellency (diplomatic)
Type Head of government
Member of
Residence São Bento Mansion
Seat Lisbon, Portugal
Appointer President
Term length No term limit
Inaugural holder Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela
Formation24 September 1834;189 years ago (1834-09-24)
Salary€70,023.52 annually [1]
Website portugal.gov.pt

The prime minister of Portugal (Portuguese : primeiro-ministro; pronounced [pɾiˈmɐjɾumiˈniʃtɾu] ) is the head of government of Portugal. As head of government, the prime minister coordinates the actions of ministers, represents the Government of Portugal to the other bodies of state, is accountable to parliament and keeps the president informed. The prime minister can hold the role of head of government with the portfolio of one or more ministries. As Portugal is a semi-presidential parliamentary republic, the prime minister is the country's leading political figure and de facto chief executive.

Contents

There is no limit to the number of terms a person can serve as prime minister. The prime minister is appointed by the president following legislative elections, after having heard the parties represented in the parliament. Usually, the person named is the leader of the largest party in the previous election, but there have been exceptions over the years.

History

Since the Middle Ages, some officers of the Portuguese Crown gained precedence over the others, serving as a kind of prime ministers. Over time, the role of principal officer of the Crown fell upon the chanceler-mor (chancellor), the mordomo-mor (mayor of the palace) and the escrivão da puridade (king's private secretary).

The first modern prime minister of Portugal was Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela, who was sworn in on 24 September 1834, as Presidente do Conselho de Ministros (President of the Council of Ministers). In 1911, the official title of the prime minister became Presidente do Ministério (President of the Ministry). In 1933, it became again Presidente do Conselho de Ministros.

The present title Primeiro-Ministro (Prime Minister), attributed to the head of the Government of Portugal, was officially established by the Constitution of 1976 after the revolution of 25 April 1974

Officeholders

The incumbent prime minister of Portugal is António Costa, who took office on 26 November 2015 as the 13th prime minister of the Third Portuguese Republic. [2] The official residence of the prime minister is a mansion next to São Bento Palace, which, in confusion, is also often called "São Bento Palace".

Portuguese prime ministers of the Third Portuguese Republic:

Prime minister's residence

22 11 2022 Encontro com o senhor Antonio Costa, Primeiro-Ministro da Republica Portuguesa (52518745795).jpg
Facade of the São Bento Mansion
Pedro Sanchez se reune con Antonio Costa en Portugal, Lisboa, lunes 6 de julio de 2020 (06).png
Interior of the Mansion.

Just behind the main building of the Assembly of the Republic, there is a mansion that serves as residence and office for the prime minister of Portugal. The mansion, dated from 1877, was built within the garden of the old monastery that held the Portuguese parliament. It has been the prime minister's official residence since 1938, when Salazar moved in. Although it is the official residence of the prime minister, not all incumbents have lived in the mansion during their term in office.

António Costa, current prime minister, does not live in the residence.

List of prime ministers of Portugal

Term of office in years

Graphical timeline (since 1976)

António CostaPedro Passos CoelhoJosé SócratesPedro Santana LopesJosé Manuel BarrosoAntónio GuterresAníbal Cavaco SilvaFrancisco Pinto BalsemãoDiogo Freitas do AmaralFrancisco Sá CarneiroMaria de Lourdes PintasilgoCarlos Mota PintoAlfredo Nobre da CostaMário SoaresPrime Minister of Portugal

See also

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References

  1. Miguel Santos (23 September 2015). "E agora um tema sensível: os políticos são mal pagos?". Observador (in Portuguese). Lisbon. Retrieved 12 October 2016. O mesmo se aplica ao primeiro-ministro: este ano, Pedro Passos Coelho recebe um salário mensal de 5.001,68 euros brutos, menos 12% do que recebia em 2010, antes dos cortes.
  2. "Portugal Socialist Costa named PM in left-wing coalition". BBC News. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.