Portugal: elections and voting in a dual-tier, local government system

Abstract

[Excerpt] In Portugal, the local government system can be characterized as a dual-tier system that includes both a municipal and a submunicipal level. This system is protected under Article 236 of the Portuguese Constitution, which establishes two categories of local government: municipali ties ( municípios ) and parishes ( freguesias ). Both types of local government operate with elected executives and deliberative decision-making bodies and possess fi nancial and administrative autonomy. 1 The literature is consensual in placing Portugal in the group of countries following a strong mayor tradition (Heinelt & Hlepas 2006; Magre & Bertrana 2007 ), where the mayor represents the interests of the community. While not included in the original Page and Gold smith (1987) typology, Portugal is often referred to as a variant of the southern model (John 2001). Despite being described as possessing high political discretion and medium fi nancial autonomy ( Ladner et al. 2019 ), municipalities and parishes are only responsible for about 9.6% of all public expenditures, which places Portugal as one of the most centralized countries in the European Union (DGO 2018). The unique nature of the Portuguese system requires a brief description of both levels and their implications for local elections.