At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Portugal

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Jorge SAMPAIO
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Antonio Manuel de Oliviera GUTERRES
• Assembly: Portugal has a unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica) with 230 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the president.
• In the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica) 230 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** There are 22 multi-member districts. Seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Jorge SAMPAIO
  • Party: Socialist Party / (PS)
• Joaquim Ferreira do AMARAL
  • Party: Social Democratic Party / (PSD)
• António ABREU
  • Party: Portuguese Communist Party (PCP)
• Fernando ROSAS
  • Party: Left Bloc
• Garcia PEREIRA
  • Party: Portuguese Workers Communist Party/ Proletarian Portuguese Revolutionary Movement / (PCTP/MRPP)

Last Presidential election:

• Presidential elections were last held on January 14, 1996. President Jorge SAMPAIO received 53.8% of the vote, thereby defeating Anibal CAVACO SILVA, his closest competitor, with 43.2% of the vote.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 10,362,722 (2001)
• Registered Voters: 8,932,106 (2001)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 5,359,377 (2001)

·         Is Portugal a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (24 April 1980)

·         Has Portugal ratified CEDAW: Yes (30 July 1980)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 43 (following the 1999 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 43 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Portugal a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Portugal ratified CRPD: Yes (23 September 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,554,408 (est.)