000			02096cam a2200229 4500500
005			20250112051038.0
041			_afre
042			_adc
100	1	0	_aRets, Antonio _eauthor
245	0	0	_aThe Organization of Political Power
260			_c2005.
500			_a31
520			_aThirty years after its April Revolution, Portugal is in the midst of the most successful democratic experiment of its history. A product of the pact signed by the principal political parties and the armed forces, the Portuguese constitution created a semi-presidential system of power that ensures that the main organs of sovereignty exercise reciprocal control over each other. Until 1982, the presence of a unique political and military body, the Council of the Revolution, acted as a safety valve for the system during the transition period. Successive revisions to the constitution perfected this architecture of power while eliminating the ideological rhetoric inherited from the revolutionary period. This paper describes the functioning of the system on the basis of the evolution of electoral results, the various arrangements attempted in forming governments, and the characteristics of the principal political parties. The growing tendency toward electoral non-participation is the object of particular consideration. The highly autonomous judicial system and the armed forces, which are increasingly coming under civilian control, shall also be analyzed. In conclusion, the paper considers the challenges to Portugal’s immediate future, including the deepening of participatory democracy, the need to lessen both the bureaucratic weight and the excessive centralism of the state, and the quest for a system of justice that will be both speedier and more efficient.
690			_apolitical parties
690			_ajustice system
690			_aArmed Forces
690			_agovernment formulae
690			_ademocracy
690			_aconstitution
786	0		_nPôle Sud | o 22 | 1 | 2005-03-01 | p. 49-62 | 1262-1676
856	4	1	_uhttps://shs.cairn.info/journal-pole-sud-2005-1-page-49?lang=en
999			_c200840 _d200840