New Government for Portugal

On 2 April, Luís Montenegro entered into office as the new Portuguese Prime Minister, following the 10 March elections.

By Bruno G. Santos, in News, Portugal, Politics · 03 Apr 2024, 13:05 · 0 Comments

Luís Montenegro decided to form a Government with members of AD (PSD and CDS-PP, namely).

The Prime Minister decided to, as António Costa did previously, spread the ministers through 17 ministries, however, some were created by Luís Montenegro, as well as some joined other ministries.

Now, Portugal has 17 new ministers spread across various fields, who will work in various areas with the “solidary support and cooperation of the President of the Republic”, said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in a press conference after Luís Montenegro officially became Prime Minister.

Challenges

One of the most challenging ministries will be the Health Ministry, which is led by Ana Paula Martins, who was in charge of Hospital Santa Maria and has a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Luís Montenegro chose Ana Paula Martins to provide “structural reforms that strengthen and preserves the National Health Service (SNS) as the base of the system, also taking into consideration the capacity of the private and social sector, with no useless ideological prejudices, having only one concern: the citizens”, said the Prime-Minister during his speech after entering into office.

The Government now also has a new ministry aimed at youth entitled Ministry of Youth and Modernisation, led by Margarida Balseiro Lopes, who has experience as a deputy in the Assembly of the Republic. Now she is in charge of targeting measures for young people and “fighting against bureaucracy”, as said Luís Montenegro.

Joaquim Miranda Sarmento is in charge of the Ministry of Finances, while Pedro Reis was chosen to be Minister of the Economy. In the Legislative, the Ministry of Education has also the responsibility to deal with the Science and Innovation sector, its minister Fernando Alexandre. The Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation will also deal with the teacher’s protests that demand better work conditions.

Paulo Rangel, a former European deputy, and vice-president of PSD is now minister of State and Foreign Affairs, while António Leitão Amaro will be in charge of the Ministry of Presidency. Pedro Duarte was chosen by Luís Montenegro to be the new minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

Nuno Melo, the only minister from CDS-PP, will be in charge of the Ministry of National Defence, Rita Júdice will lead the Ministry of Justice and Margarida Blasco is the new minister of Internal Administration.

Miguel Pinto Luz will be leading the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, having in hand a decision about the new Portuguese airport, as well as the works on the high-speed railway and a crisis in the real estate market.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing will be led by José Manuel Fernandes, while Maria da Graça Carvalho will be the Ministry of Environment and Energy. Maria Rosário Palma Ramalho is now responsible for the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity, and Social Security.

Manuel Castro Almeida besides being Deputy Minister will also be in charge of the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion. Dalila Rodrigues will be leading the Ministry of Culture.

Other functions

José Pedro Aguiar Branco (PSD) has also an important role in the Government, being the President of the Assembly of the Republic, who was nominated after four votes, in the Assembly by the deputies. However, José Pedro Aguiar Branco will only be in the role for two years, after that PS will name a deputy to occupy the position, as was dealt with between PS and PSD.

The election of the President of the Assembly of the Republic was polemic due to Chega’s position, with the party expecting an agreement with PSD, postponing the election by one day. Rui Rocha, leader of Iniciativa Liberal, called André Ventura “irresponsible”, stating that "it's regrettable that democracy and the Assembly of the Republic are part of this sad show because someone wants to throw a tantrum.” Rui Rocha also accused André Ventura of being a “spoilt child”, who was delaying the work that could be done to help the Portuguese citizens.

Respect

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa showed respect for the Portuguese votes, highlighting that the voters decided to “attribute the victory to the moderate sector and not the radical one.”

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Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463.