28 September 2026
On 28 September 2026 the Portuguese Government began meetings with representatives of the parliamentary groups on the State Budget for 2027. Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Minister of State and Finance, and Carlos Abreu Amorim, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, are to present and discuss the general lines of the budget. CHEGA and PS were received on 28 September; PSD and CDS-PP, LIVRE, PCP and the sole deputies of BE, PAN and JPP on 29 September; and IL on 30 September. The meetings come before the formal budget proposal goes to the Assembleia da República.
Minister of State and Finance:
Joaquim Miranda Sarmento
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs:
Carlos Abreu Amorim
Meetings held:
28 to 30 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: How a parliamentary democracy prepares and consults on its annual budget, and the names of its parliament and ministers, are typical polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Assembleia da República Assembly of the Republic — Portugal's parliament, which votes on the State Budget.
Orçamento do Estado State Budget — The annual budget law of the Portuguese state.
Background
Portugal is a semi-presidential republic. Its capital is Lisbon, its official language is Portuguese and its currency is the euro. It has been an EU member since 1 January 1986 and sends 21 MEPs to the European Parliament. The EU page puts its area at 92 226 km2 and its population at 10 749 635.
Capital:
Lisbon
Currency:
euro (€)
Government:
semi-presidential republic
MEPs:
21
Why it matters for exams: Capital, currency, language and system of government are the first facts asked about any country.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Semi-presidential republic Semi-presidential republic — A system with both a directly elected president and a prime minister answerable to parliament.
MEP Member of the European Parliament — An elected member of the EU's parliament.
Background
The official government portal lists Luís Montenegro as Prime Minister, with the period in office shown as running from 2025-06-05 to the current date. It describes him as leader of the Social Democrats (PSD) since 28 May 2022. He was born in Porto on February 16, 1973 and holds a law degree from Universidade Católica Portuguesa. The portal is that of the XXV Constitutional Government.
Party:
Social Democrats (PSD)
Government:
XXV Constitutional Government
Born in:
Porto
Why it matters for exams: Head of government is a recurring question; Portugal's PM is distinct from its President.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PSD Partido Social Democrata — The Social Democrats, the party Montenegro leads.
Background
NATO's own history page says Portugal was among the founding members when it joined in 1949. The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. The Azores lie about one-third of the way between Lisbon and New York. Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island served NATO and U.S. forces during the Cold War.
Treaty signed at:
Washington, D.C.
Air base:
Lajes, Terceira Island
Why it matters for exams: NATO founding membership is a standard question; the Azores link explains why Portugal mattered to the alliance.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization — A transatlantic military alliance formed by the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty.
Background
The Embassy of India in Lisbon says Vasco da Gama led an expedition to Calicut (Kozhikode) in Kerala in May 1498, the first direct sea route between Europe and India. Operation Vijay liberated Goa on 19 December 1961, ending over 450 years of Portuguese rule. A treaty signed on 31 December 1974 recognised India's sovereignty over Goa, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and came into force on 3 June 1975. The embassy page gives India-Portugal trade in FY 2025-26 as US$ 1,145.53 million and says official figures indicate that 98,616 Indian nationals live in Portugal.
Gama's landfall:
Calicut (Kozhikode), May 1498
Operation Vijay:
19 December 1961
Trade, FY 2025-26:
US$ 1,145.53 million
Indian nationals in Portugal (official figures):
98,616
Why it matters for exams: Gama's landing and the liberation of Goa are favourite history questions, and the 1974 treaty is the legal end of the dispute.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
António José Seguro is the President of the Portuguese Republic. He won the presidential election in a second round on 8 February 2026 and his inauguration took place in the Assembleia da República on 9 March 2026, when the term of his predecessor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa ended. The Portuguese Government's portal records Prime Minister Luís Montenegro wishing him the greatest success and expecting loyal and productive cooperation between institutions.
Election:
Second round, 8 February 2026
Inauguration:
9 March 2026, Assembleia da República
Predecessor:
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Why it matters for exams: Heads of state change; the current officeholder and who they succeeded are standard questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Assembleia da República Assembly of the Republic — Portugal's national parliament.
Background
UNESCO lists 17 properties of Portugal on the World Heritage List: 16 cultural and 1 natural. The natural one is the Laurisilva of Madeira. Others include the Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon, the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, the Historic Centre of Oporto and the University of Coimbra - Alta and Sofia. The Azores have two listings: Angra do Heroismo and the Pico Island Vineyard Culture.
Total properties:
17
Cultural:
16
Natural:
1 (Laurisilva of Madeira)
Why it matters for exams: Questions ask how many sites a country has and which one is natural; Madeira's Laurisilva is the answer here.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Laurisilva Laurisilva — A type of humid laurel forest, found on Madeira.