Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, referring to the territorial subdivision in

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...

. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal and some of its former overseas provinces, but is no longer in use in Brazil following the abolition of these organs, in favour of the French prefecture system. It is similar to

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

and

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

History

After the civil parish ( pt, freguesias), the Portuguese ''concelho'' is the most stable territorial subdivision within the country, with over 900 years of history. Founded in the royal charters attributed to parcels and territorial enclaves, in order to establish a presence by the Crown, rather than personal fiefdoms of the nobility and aristocracy. This municipal institution changed throughout history: many were abolished and reconstituted based on the political necessity; first they were subject to the specifics of each charter (which varied based on conditions and circumstances), and then based on national laws established during the Liberal era. Today, the municipalities are governed by the ''municípios'', constituted by the ''Câmara Municipal'' (''Municipal Chamber''), its executive organ and by the ''Assembleia Municipal'' (''Municipal Assembly''), its deliberative body. The ''Câmara'' is the executive body that is charged with governing the territory and policies of the region. Owing to population, the municipal chamber can comprise a number of alderman (normally between 5 and 17) elected by lists, using direct, universal suffragan vote, based with or without political parties. The municipal assembly, sometimes ''parliament'', is responsible principally for auditing the activities of the executive branch. Its members are elected by population and proportionally by civil parishes, using the same schema as the executive (by universal direct suffrage with or without political parties), but also represented by the presidents of the ''juntas de freguesia'' (''civil parish council presidents''). Though a unitary state, the Portuguese model governance has undergone periods of centralized and decentralized tendencies: :''"One of the interesting and innovative aspects of the 1976 Constitution, occurs in the consideration of decentralized democracy, particularly in the ambient of territorial decentralization...The Portuguese State continues to be unitary (Article 6, Paragraph 1), with the ability to be also decentralized...or basically, capable of distribute functions and powers to community authorities, other entities and centres of existing interest. "''

References

;Notes ;Sources * {{Portuguese terms for country subdivisions Types of administrative division Subdivisions of Portugal Geography of Macau Politics of Macau Local government in Portugal pt:Município#Como divisão territorial

History

See also

References