Constituent Assembly of Portugal

The Constituent Assembly (Portuguese: Assembleia Constituinte) was the Portuguese constituent assembly elected on 25 April 1975, after the Carnation Revolution (25 April 1974), for the purpose of adopting a constitution for the Third Portuguese Republic, the Constitution of 1976.

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Quick facts Constituent Assembly Assembleia Constituinte, Type ...

Constituent Assembly Assembleia Constituinte

Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Established	2 June 1975
Disbanded	2 April 1976
Succeeded by	1st Legislature
Leadership
President	Henrique de Barros, Socialist Party^[1]
Vice Presidents	Vasco da Gama Fernandes, Socialist Party Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Democratic People's Party José Tavares Magro, Communist Party
Structure
Seats	250

Political groups	PS (116) PPD (81) PCP (30) CDS (16) MDP/CDE (5) UDP (1) ADIM (1)
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation
Last election	25 April 1975
Meeting place

São Bento Palace, Lisbon, Portugal

Background

After the Carnation Revolution, the National Salvation Junta dissolved all political offices previously existing in the Estado Novo (Law no. 1/74^[2]). On 14 May 1974, the President of the National Salvation Junta, António de Spínola, abolished the National Assembly and the Corporative Chamber (Law no. 2/74^[3]), the two parliamentary chambers in the Estado Novo, and established a transitory constitution (Law no. 3/74^[3]) to be used until the new constitution was approved.

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Election

The election of the Constituent Assembly was carried out in Portugal on 25 April 1975, exactly one year after the Carnation Revolution and was the first free election in fifty years, the first in the new democratic regime created after the revolution.

The election was won by the Socialist Party, with the Democratic People's Party being the second most voted party. The parliament had a large majority of moderate parties, from Socialism to Centrism, meaning a victory of "democratic legitimacy over revolutionary legitimacy".^[4] A new Constitution was approved on 2 April 1976.

More information Party, Votes ...

Party	Constituent Assembly
Votes	%	Seats
	PS	2,162,972	37.87	116
	PPD	1,507,282	26.39	81
	PCP	711,935	12.46	30
	CDS	434,879	7.61	16
	MDP/CDE	236,318	4.14	5
	UDP	44,877	0.79	1
	ADIM^[a]	1,622	0.03	1
	Other/blank/invalid	611,944	10.71	0
Total	5,711,829	100.00	250

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Composition

More information Party, Parliamentary group leader ...

Party	Parliamentary group leader	Elected	Dissolution
Seats	%	Seats	%
	PS	António Lopes Cardoso (Beja)	116	46.4	116	46.4
	PPD	Carlos Mota Pinto (Coimbra) (1975) António Barbosa de Melo (Coimbra) (1975–1976)	81	32.4	60	24.0
	PCP	Octávio Pato (Lisbon)	30	12.0	30	12.0
	CDS	Victor Sá Machado [pt] (Lisbon)	16	6.4	16	6.4
	MDP/CDE	José Tengarrinha [pt] (Lisbon)	5	2.0	5	2.0
	UDP	João Pulido Valente (Lisbon)	1	0.4	1	0.4
	ADIM	Diamantino de Oliveira Ferreira (Macau)	1	0.4	1	0.4
	Independent	Various PPD deputies	0	0.0	21	8.4
Total	250	100.0	250	100.0

Changes

Several Democratic People's Party (PPD) MPs → Independent: A total of 21 PPD MPs, including the party's parliamentary group leader, Carlos Mota Pinto, announced, on December 1975, that they are leaving the PPD and will become Independents, following deep disagreements with the party leader, Francisco Sá Carneiro, regarding the ideology and policies of the party.^[5]

Election for President of the Constituent Assembly

To be elected, a candidate needed to reach a minimum of 126 votes. The then interim President Henrique de Barros, from the Socialist Party, was easily elected:

More information Ballot →, 5 June 1975 ...

Election of the President of the Constituent Assembly
Ballot →	5 June 1975
Required majority →	126 out of 250
	Henrique de Barros (PS)	233 / 250	Y
	Vasco da Gama Fernandes (PS)	1 / 250	N
	Blank ballots	2 / 250
	Invalid ballots	4 / 250
	Absentees	10 / 250
Sources:^[6]

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Notes

Constituent Assembly of Portugal

Background

Election

Composition

Changes

Election for President of the Constituent Assembly

See also

Notes

References

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