Corporative Chamber

Corporative Chamber

Câmara Corporativa
Coat of arms or logo
History
FoundedApril 11, 1933 (1933-04-11)
DisbandedApril 25, 1974; 50 years ago (1974-04-25)
Preceded byCongress of the Republic
Succeeded byConstituent Assembly
Leadership
President of the Corporate Chamber
Eduardo Augusto Marques (1935–1944) (first)
Mário Júlio de Almeida Costa (1973–1974) (last)
Elections
First election
December 16, 1934 (1934-12-16)
Last election
October 28, 1973 (1973-10-28)
Meeting place
São Bento Palace, Lisbon
Constitution
Portuguese Constitution of 1933

The Corporative Chamber (Portuguese: Câmara Corporativa) was one of the two parliamentary chambers established under the Portuguese Constitution of 1933, the other being the National Assembly. Unlike the directly elected National Assembly, it had a purely consultative, rather than legislative role.

The creation of the Corporative Chamber was part of corporatist philosophy advocated by Salazar and adopted by the Estado Novo. Its function was to represent the various economic, cultural, social, and other corporations.

The Corporative Chamber met in the former Senate chamber of the São Bento Palace. It was composed of members elected by the various types of Portuguese corporations, including:

  • Provinces and Municipalities;
  • Universities and Schools;
  • Trade Unions;
  • Economic Organizations and Employers;
  • Social Welfare Organizations.