At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Portugal

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Jorge Fernando Branco de SAMPAIO
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES
• 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:

• Aníbal António Cavaco SILVA*
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Manuel ALEGRE de Melo Duarte**
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES***
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Jerónimo Carvalho de SOUSA****
  • Party: Portuguese Communist Party (PCP)
• Francisco Anacleto LOUÇÃ
  • Party: Left Block / (BE)
• António Pestana Garcia PEREIRA
  • Party: Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers - Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat / Partido Comunista dos Trabalhadores Portugueses/Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado (PCPT/MRPP)

* Anibal CAVACO SILVA has the support of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Popular Party (CDS/PP).
** Although a member of the Social Party (PS), Manuel ALEGRE does not have the support of his party.
*** Mario SOARES has the support of the Socialist Party.
**** Jerónimo Carvalho de SOUSA is also supported by the Green Ecologist Party (PEV).

Last Presidential election:

• The last presidential election was held on January 14, 2001. Jorge SAMPAIO was reelected president with 55.55% of the vote against Joaquim FERREIRA do Amaral with 34.68% and António ABREU with 5.16%.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 10,522,288 (2006)
• Registered Voters: 9,085,339 (January 2006)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 5,438,788 (2006)

·         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: 49 (following the 2005 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: 1,578,343 (est.)