The Assembly of the Republic (
Portuguese: ''Assembleia da República'', ), commonly referred to as simply Parliament (
Portuguese: ''Parlamento''), is the
unicameral parliament of
Portugal. According to the
Constitution of Portugal, the parliament "is the representative assembly of all Portuguese citizens". The constitution names the assembly as one of the country's organs of supreme authority.
It is located in a historical building in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, referred to as ''
Palácio de São Bento'' (Palace of Saint Benedict), the site of an old Benedictine monastery. The ''Palácio de São Bento'' has been the seat of the Portuguese parliaments since 1834 (
Cortes until 1910, Congress from 1911 to 1926 and National Assembly from 1933 to 1974).
Powers and duties of the Assembly
The Assembly of the Republic's powers derive from its ability to dismiss a
government through a vote of no confidence, to change the country's laws, and to amend the
constitution (which requires a majority of two-thirds). In addition to these key powers, the constitution grants to the Assembly extensive legislative powers and substantial control over the
budget
A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...
, the right to authorize the government to raise taxes and grant loans, the power to ratify treaties and other kinds of international agreements, and the duty to approve or reject decisions by the President of the Republic to declare war and make peace. The assembly also appoints many members of important state institutions, such as ten of the thirteen members of the
Constitutional Court and seven of the sixteen members of the
Council of State.
The constitution requires the assembly to quickly review and