ABSTRACT
The chapter presents the main characteristics of elections and voting in the dual-tier local government system of Portugal. It begins by providing a brief overview of municipalities and parishes in Portugal, tracking the origins of these local government institutions, and then profiles local elections and candidates embedded in a multilevel system. Next, the chapter describes the key features of the electoral system and analyzes the most relevant electoral outcomes. The last section concludes with a reflection on the main challenges to improving political and electoral participation in Portugal.
