President of Portugal
| President of the Portuguese Republic Presidente da República Portuguesa |
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| Style | His/Her Excellency |
| Type | Executive |
| Member of |
Council of State Council of Ministers |
| Residence | Belém Palace |
| Seat | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Appointer |
Direct election; Two-round system, universal suffrage |
| Term length | Five years; Renewable once, consecutively. |
| Constituting instrument |
Constitution of the Third Republic |
| Precursor | King of Portugal |
| Formation | 5 October 1910 |
| First holder | Manuel de Arriaga |
| Salary |
€93,364.74 (2015) (€6,668.91/month) |
| Website | presidencia |
The President of the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: Presidente da República Portuguesa, pronounced: [pɾɨziˈðẽtɨ ðɐ ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ puɾtuˈɡezɐ]) is the executive head of state of Portugal. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, and their relation with the Prime Minister and cabinets has over time differed with the various Portuguese constitutions.
The current President of Portugal is Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who took office on 9 March 2016.
The Portuguese Third Republic is a semi-presidential system. Unlike several other European presidents, the Portuguese President is quite powerful. Although it is the Prime Minister of Portugal and parliament that oversee much of the nation's actual day-to-day affairs, the Portuguese President wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy. The president holds the nation's most senior office, and outranks all other politicians.
The President's greatest power is his/her ability to choose the Prime Minister. However, since the Assembly of the Republic has the sole power to dismiss the Prime Minister's government. The Prime Minister named by the President must have the confidence of the majority of the representatives in the assembly, otherwise he may face a motion of no confidence. The President has the discretionary power to dissolve parliament when he sees fit (colloquially known as the "atomic bomb" in Portugal), and President Sampaio made use of this prerogative in late 2004 to remove the controversial government of Pedro Santana Lopes, despite the absolute majority of deputies supporting the government.
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