Portugal
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[edit] Basic Information
Portugal is the one hundred and tenth ranked country in terms of the size of it landmass.[1] The population is ranked seventy-sixth in regards to the world with a population of 10,707,924.[2] Portugal is located in Europe directly next to spain. Portugal occupies 92,090 sqaure kilometers of land, the terrain of the land has mountains to the north and rolling plains to the south.[3] Portugal's weather is different between its north and south. Cool and rainy in the north and hot and dry in the south.[4] The total population of portugal is estimated to be around 10,707,924. Within this population roman catholics dominate most of the religions with 84.5% as followers.9% of the populations religion is unknown, 2.2% is christian, 0.3% is other and 3.9% is athiest.
[edit] Economic Development, Health, and Education
Portugal economy was in a steady decline up into the year 2007. Portugal changed there currency in 2002 to the euro. Portugal educational systems struggle and always seem as it is an unmoving and and unwavering obtacle. In 2005 the budget deficit was at an all time high at 6% and it declined in 2007 to 2.6% which was a great leap or them because they were not expecting such a cut to happen so fast. $236.5 billion is portugal GDP(2008 est.)which is ranked 48 compared to the rest o the world. Portugal prides it self on the production of grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes, sheep, cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products, and fish which is there main source o argiculture. In their industry section of there country textiles, clothing, footwear, paper, chemicals, auto-parts manufacturing, base metals, diary products, wine and other foods, porcelain and ceramics, glassware, technology, telecommunications, ship construction and refurbishment, and tourism. The unemployment rate went from 8% in 2007 to 7.6% in 2008. 18 percent o the popuation is below the poverty line.
[edit] Brief History
In the 15th and 16th century portugal was a global maritime power. Portugal lost all of its wealth when it lost Lisbon to a severe destruction in 1755. Lisbon suffered severe destruction in an earthquake. In 1910 the monarchy had been disposed and or the next six generations portugal was ran by opressive governments. A left wing military coup turned the country into accepting democratic reforms. After accepting democratic reforms Portugal granted Independence to all of its African colonies.
[edit] Governance
Portugal in its long form of a name is known as Portuguese Republic. Portugal is its conventional short form of a name. The government type is parliamentary democracy.
[edit] Elections
Article 116 General Principles of Electoral Law (1) Direct, secret, and regular elections are the general rule in appointing the members of the elected organs of supreme authority, the autonomous regions, and local government. (2) Registration of electors is compulsory and permanent and does not serve any other purpose. There is a single registration system for all elections by direct universal suffrage. (3) Election campaigns must observe the following principles: a) Freedom of propaganda; b) Equality of opportunity and treatment for the various candidates; c) Impartiality towards candidates on the part of public bodies; d) Supervision of vote-counting. (4) Citizens have the duty to collaborate with the elections administration in the forms laid down by law; (5) Votes cast are converted into effective suffrage in accordance with the principle of proportional representation. (6) Acts dissolving corporate organs based on direct suffrage set the date of the new elections, to be held in the following ninety days and in accordance with the electoral law in force at the time of dissolution, otherwise the said acts are legally null and void. (7) The courts are competent to judge the regularity and validity of acts of electoral procedure.
Article 117 Political Parties and Right of Opposition (1) Political parties participate in the organs based on direct universal suffrage in accordance with their electoral representation. (2) Minorities have the right of democratic opposition on conditions laid down in the Constitution. (3) The political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic and not in Government, in particular have the right to be informed regularly and directly by the Government on the progress of the main matters of public interest; the political parties represented in any other assemblies that are designated through direct elections and not represented in the corresponding executive organ enjoy the same right with respect to the latter. Article 128 Date of Election (1) The President of the Republic is elected during the period of time that runs between the sixtieth and the thirtieth days before the last day of his predecessor's term of office, or between the sixtieth and the ninetieth days following the day in which the office falls vacant. (2) The election may not be held within the period of ninety days that precede or follow the date of elections to the Assembly of the Republic. (3) Where the circumstances mentioned in the preceding paragraph arise, the election must be held during the period of time that runs between the ninetieth and the hundredth days that follow the date of the elections for the Assembly of the Republic; the outgoing President's term of office then is automatically extended for the necessary period of time. (4) The date of the first in time of the two possible elections is fixed in such a way as to allow both elections to be held within the periods of time mentioned in Paragraphs (1) and (3).
Article 129 Election System (1) A candidate who obtains more than half the votes validly cast is elected President of the Republic. Blank ballots are not considered as having been validly cast. (2) If none of the candidates obtains that number of votes, there is a second ballot in the twenty-first day following the date of the first ballot. (3) Only the two candidates who have obtained most votes and who have not withdrawn stand for election in the second ballot.
[edit] Judicial Review
[edit] Courts and Criminal Law
The Constitutional Court, called into existence by the constitutional reform of 1982, judges whether legislative acts are legal and constitutional. Among other duties, this court also ascertains the physical ability of the president to carry out presidential functions and to examine international agreements for their constitutionality. Ten of its thirteen members are chosen by the Assembly of the Republic.The Supreme Court of Justice is designated the "highest court of law," but "without prejudice to the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court," and heads the court system that deals with civil and criminal cases. The courts of first instance (the first courts to try a case) are the municipal and district courts; the courts of second instance are, as a rule, courts of appeal. As of the early 1990s, there were four of these latter courts. The Supreme Court of Justice may serve as a court of first instance in some cases and as an appeals court in others. The Supreme Court of Administration examines the fiscal and administrative conduct of government institutions. It is not concerned with the state's political decisions or legislation. One section of this court deals with administrative disputes; below it are three courts of first instance. Another section deals with tax disputes and is supported by courts of first and second instance. In addition to these courts, there is a Court of Audit situated in the Ministry of Finance.Overseeing the nominations, training, promotions, transfers, and professional conduct of Portugal's judges are the Higher Council of the Bench and the Superior Council of the Administrative and Fiscal Courts. These bodies have the right to discipline judges whose conduct does not comply with the law. Also looking after the rights of the citizens is the ombudsman, elected by the Assembly of the Republic for a four-year term. In the early 1990s, this official received some 3,000 complaints a year from Portuguese who felt they had been improperly dealt with by state institutions.
[edit] Punishment
[edit] Legal Personnel
[edit] Law Enforcement
[edit] Crime Rates and Public Opinion
| Lie | Theft | Breach of Contract | Assualt | Cheat |
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[edit] Rights
[edit] Family Law
Article 36 Family, Marriage, and Filiation (1) Everyone has the right to found a family and marry on terms of complete equality. (2) The requirements for and effects of marriage and its dissolution by death or divorce are regulated by law without distinction as to the form in which the marriage is or was contracted. (3) Spouses have equal rights and duties with respect to their civil and political capacity as well as the maintenance and upbringing of their children. (4) Children born out of wedlock may not for that reason be the subject of discrimination; discriminatory designations of filiation may not be used by the law or by Government departments. (5) Parents have the right and the duty to bring up and maintain their children. (6) Children are not to be separated from their parents unless the latter fail to perform their fundamental duties towards the former, and then only by judicial decision. (7) Adoption is regulated and protected in accordance with the law.
[edit] Social Inequality
All of the citizens have the same social dignity and are all equal before the law. No one is privileged, favored, injured, deprived of any right, or exempt from any duty because of his ancestry, sex, race, language, territory of origin, religion, political or ideological convictions, education, economic situation, or social condition. The only inequality that i have found present in portugal is the working class. They have upper class which is the rich people. Then a working class that works hard for there money. Also they have a poor class that struggles to get any money.
[edit] Human Rights
The rights of all Portuguese citizens are protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. It is also protected by the Portuguese Constitution. The purpose of the Portuguese Constitution is to ensure that all of its citizens including adualts and children are equal and have the opportunity of equal justice, dignity and rights. Portugal's Constitution holds alot of information regarding the rights and civil liberties of each of its citizens. There constituion is very similiar to our constitution and it covers the rights from A to Z. Articles 24 to 47 deal with the personal rights, freedoms, and the safeguards.The Articles 48 to 52 deal with the politcal freedoms. Articles 53 to 57 deal with all rights for workers. The article 58 to 72 deal with the articles of social rights, and the economics rights as well as the duties you have as a parent.
