According to the Constitution of the Republic of Portugal, the single-chamber Assembly of the Republic "is the representative assembly of all Portuguese citizens." Therefore the Portuguese living abroad have the same right to vote in elections for the Assembly as citizens living in the home country.
Portuguese voters residing outside Portugal are grouped into two electoral constituencies - Europe and the rest of the world - each one of which elects two Assembly members.
Expat voter registration takes place mainly at Portuguese consulates. If there is no consulate in a particular country, then registration is normally carried out at the Embassy or another designated registration centre. There are around 200 registration centres abroad, some of which cover more than one country.
In addition, Portuguese citizens living abroad are represented on the Conselho das Comunidades Portuguesas (CCP, Council of Portuguese Communities), the advisory body to Government policies on emigration and Portuguese communities abroad. The CCP is composed of 73 members, 63 of whom are elected by universal, direct and secret ballot of the voters listed in the electoral rolls of the consular posts, and the remaining 10 members are appointed.
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