Municipalities of Portugal

The concelho is the second level of administrative division in Portugal. While the Freguesia corresponds to the smallest administrative unit in Portugal about the church in Germany, the German concelho the circle or the city is comparable. The term is also used in the administration of other former Portuguese managed countries.

History

The term goes back to the Latin con - cilium, from the period of Roman occupation ( 2nd century AD). After the founding of the state in 1143, the king drove the allocation and administration of the country ahead after the new interests. With the award of the Cartas de Foral (city rights ) and the associated breakdown in Concelhos protected the central government thus under their administration areas against the appropriation by the feudal nobility.

In the following almost 900 years until today the concelho has remained a constant in the administrative structure, at least in the European mainland Portugal. The position and responsibilities, however, were always changed again heavily dependent on the central government. Also, your number varied over the centuries and the various administrative reforms. 1836 was created with the Código Administrativo the first administrative codes of Portugal. The Manuel da Silva Passos with initiated administrative reforms increased local autonomy and at the same time reduced the number of Concelhos from 800 to 351

In the course of democratization following the Carnation Revolution, the local self-government significantly strengthened most recently in the 1976 Constitution. Today's 308 municipios since then form a strong counterweight to the central government.

Terms

As a result, the Portuguese colonial history, there are similar names in all Portuguese-speaking countries. In Cape Verde, about the administrative division is very similar in Portugal today. Thus, in both countries there is a difference between the terms of the Municipalities and the Concelhos. In Brazil, for example, no difference has, in spite of all administrative similarities in structure and terminology held, and the term concelho is also no longer used and has been replaced by the Prefeitura. In common parlance, Municipio and concelho are often used interchangeably in Portugal. In the original sense, the term Municipio describes the management and administrative center, while concelho says the managed area. Derived from the " Autarquias " as a common term in Portugal for the local government, the municipality mayor (Presidente da Junta de Freguesia ) to ( da Câmara Municipal Presidente ) refers, above all, the politically important district mayor as Autarcas. (See also the municipality (Portugal ) )

Administrative structure

In Portugal there are 308 Concelhos with over 4,200 Freguesias. There are seven in Portugal Concelhos that consist only of a Freguesia. The highest number of Freguesias has the concelho Barcelos with 89 municipalities.

The Câmara Municipal ( " Municipal Chamber " ) called Location City Hall, and is the name of the housed there administration and government of concelho. It is the local executive. The Assembleia Municipal ( " town meeting ") is the local legislative body, the municipal parliament, which elects the Câmara Municipal. In the local elections half of the representatives of the Municipal Assembleia be selected. The elected mayors of the municipalities of a circle represent the second half of the Assembleia Municipal.