The right of opposition in Portuguese municipalities

Abstract

The Portuguese legal system establishes in its constitution and through a dedicated ordinary law, the right of opposition (Law 24/98, of May 26). The application of this regime, in particular to local politics where the tensions between Government and Opposition are felt more acutely, has not received sufficient attention both in normative and empirical terms. 20 years after its adoption, this article seeks to analyse, longitudinally, the solutions established in this legal regime and to propose a set of changes to the current Law.