At stake in this election:

• 230 seats in the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Jorge Fernando Branco de 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.***

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

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Social Democratic Party / (PSD)
  • Leader: Jose BARROSO
  • Seats won in this election: 102
  • Seats won in last election: 81
• Party: Portugese Socialist Party / (PS)
  • Leader: Antonio GUTERRES
  • Seats won in this election: 95
  • Seats won in last election: 115
• Party: Popular Party / (PP)
  • Leader: Paulo PORTAS
  • Seats won in this election: 14
  • Seats won in last election: 15
• Party: Portuguese Communist Party / (PCP)
  • Leader: Carlos CARVALHAS CARVALHAS
  • Seats won in this election: 12
  • Seats won in last election: 15
• Party: Left Bloc / (B.E.)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 3
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Other Parties
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held October 19, 1999.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 10,419,631 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 8,882,561 (2002)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 5,383,907 (2002)

·         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: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 44 (following the 2002 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: 1,562,944 (est.)