Prime Minister of Portugal

Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic Primeiro-ministro
Arms of the Portuguese Republic
Flag of the Prime Minister
Incumbent António Costa since 26 November 2015
Style	His/Her Excellency
Residence	São Bento Palace Lisbon, Portugal
Appointer	President of Portugal
Term length	4 years maximum (Parliament can be dissolved sooner). No term limits.
Inaugural holder	Pedro de Sousa Holstein, Marquess of Palmela
Formation	24 September 1834
Website	http://www.portugal.gov.pt

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Prime Minister (Portuguese: primeiro-ministro) is the current title of 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.

There is no limit to the number of terms a person can serve as Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is nominated by the President of the Republic 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.

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, Marquess 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 tile 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

Office Holders

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. 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:

• 1st Mario Soares (two terms);
• 2nd Alfredo Nobre da Costa;
• 3rd Carlos Mota Pinto;
• 4th Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo;
• 5th Francisco Sá Carneiro;
• (interim) Diogo Freitas do Amaral - vice-prime-minister;
• 6th Francisco Pinto Balsemão;
• 1st Mario Soares (third term);
• 7th Aníbal Cavaco Silva (three terms);
• 8th António Guterres (two terms);
• 9th José Manuel Barroso;
• 10th Santana Lopes;
• 11th José Sócrates (two terms);
• 12th Passos Coelho (two terms);
• 13th António Costa

Graphical timeline (since 1974)

Prime Minister's Residence

The São Bento 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.

Living former Prime Ministers

There are nine living former Portuguese Prime Ministers:

• Living former Prime Ministers
• 

  Mário Nobre Lopes Soares GColTE GCC GColL KE
  served 1976–78, 1983–85;
  born 1924

• 

  Diogo de Freitas do Amaral GCC GCSE GCIH
  served 1980–81,
  born 1941

• 

  Francisco Pereira Pinto Balsemão GCC
  served 1981–83,
  born 1937

• 

  Aníbal Cavaco Silva GCC
  served 1985–95,
  born 1939

• 

  António de Oliveira Guterres GCC
  served 1995–2002,
  born 1949

• 

  José Durão Barroso
  served 2002–04,
  born 1956

• 

  Pedro Santana Lopes
  served 2004–05,
  born 1956

• 

  José Sócrates C. Pinto de Sousa GCIH
  served 2005–11,
  born 1957

• 

  Pedro Passos Coelho
  served 2011–15,
  born 1964

See also

• List of Prime Ministers of Portugal
• List of Prime Ministers of Portugal by time in office

References

portugalprime.com

External links

• Official Website of the Prime Minister of Portugal