After 18 days following the victory of the PSD/CDS coalition in the legislative elections on May 18, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the 16 ministers of the XXV Constitutional Government were sworn in this Thursday afternoon at the National Palace of Ajuda in Lisbon.
This is the fourth cabinet sworn in by President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and the second led by the PSD.
“The elections on May 18 were clear in the lessons they taught us,” stated the head of state during the ceremony.
According to Marcelo, the first lesson was that the prediction that the Portuguese, due to fatigue, would disinterest themselves from voting and that abstention was destined to always rise rapidly, did not hold true.
“Given that the initial cause, and for many the determinant of the elections, was whether the Prime Minister deserved to have his 2024 victory renewed based on ethical or moral judgments of integrity or suitability, the results showed that the collective judgment reinforced political confidence in him,” he added.
Another lesson involved the “electoral strengthening of the winning coalition,” which demonstrated that “when all added up, the Portuguese, in comparison with other candidates, preferred it.” “Evaluating the performance over 11 months, they did not find it should be punished, but rather deserved greater votes,” he said.
After the President’s speech, it was Montenegro’s turn, who said it was an honor to assume the position to which he was reappointed: “I commit to continuing to serve Portugal.”
“I reaffirm our firm and loyal institutional cooperation and productive collaboration,” he began by saying, addressing Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
“The Portuguese people spoke and decided to reinforce confidence in the political project we lead,” he stated, adding that the elections gave a “larger majority” to the AD.
It should be noted that the XXV Government retains 13 ministers from the previous cabinet and adds three others: two who did not hold governmental functions in the XXIV—Gonçalo Matias, in the new State Reform portfolio and as Minister-adjunct, and Maria Lúcia Amaral in Internal Administration—as well as Carlos Abreu Amorim, who rises from Secretary of State to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
This lineup leaves out Pedro Duarte, the outgoing Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Pedro Reis, Minister of Economy, Margarida Blasco, Minister of Internal Administration, and Dalila Rodrigues, Minister of Culture.
Montenegro also made some organic changes, creating the Ministry of State Reform. However, he cut Economy and Culture as autonomous ministries: the Economy now pairs with the Territorial Cohesion portfolio, while Culture merges with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
In total, the XXV Government will have one less ministry than the previous, 16 total, with six female ministers, also one less.
The Secretaries of State for the XXV Constitutional Government, who are not yet known, will only be sworn in on Friday at noon.
Review the lineup:
Minister of State and Foreign Affairs – Paulo Rangel
Law degree. Academic and lawyer. Member of the European Parliament; Vice-President of the EPP Parliamentary Group; President of the Schengen Scrutiny Group; Permanent Rapporteur in the European Parliament for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Former President of the PSD Parliamentary Group; Deputy to the Assembly of the Republic; First President of the EU-Brazil Delegation. Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of State and Finance – Joaquim Miranda Sarmento
Ph.D. in Finance. MP, President of the PSD Parliamentary Group. University Professor. Former economic adviser to President Cavaco Silva. Worked for 10 years at the Ministry of Finance and was a consultant for UTAO. Minister of State and Finance of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of the Presidency – António Leitão Amaro
Ph.D. in Law. University Professor. Former Secretary of State for Local Administration in the XIX Constitutional Government, Deputy in the XI, XII, XIII, and XVI Legislatures, Vice President of the PSD Parliamentary Group, Marshall Memorial Fellow at the German Marshal Fund (USA), Scholar at The Europeaum (Oxford), Visiting Researcher at Harvard Law School (USA), and President of the Municipal Assembly of Tondela. Minister of the Presidency of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion – Manuel Castro Almeida
Law degree. Lawyer. Former Deputy, Mayor of São João da Madeira, and Secretary of State for Regional Development responsible for European Funds between 2013 and 2015. Minister-adjunct and for Territorial Cohesion of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister-adjunct and State Reform – Gonçalo Matias
President of the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2022 and Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Portugal’s Faculty of Law. Between 2008 and 2014, he served as legal and constitutional affairs advisor to the President’s Office, and since 2014 as a consultant for the same office. Former Director of the Migration Observatory and Secretary of State-adjunct for Administrative Modernization in the XX Constitutional Government. Former member of the National Council for Migration and Asylum and the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs – Carlos Abreu Amorim
Ph.D. in Law. University Professor. Former MP (XII and XIII Legislatures) and vice-president of the PSD Parliamentary Group. Secretary of State-adjunct and for Parliamentary Affairs of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister for National Defense – Nuno Melo
Law degree. Lawyer. President of CDS-PP and MEP. Former Deputy to the Assembly of the Republic. Minister of National Defense of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Infrastructure and Housing – Miguel Pinto Luz
Engineering degree with an MBA. President of the Alfredo de Sousa Foundation; Vice-President of the Cascais Municipality; President of SEDES Lisbon; Regional Tourism Entity Vice-President; Administrator of the Paula Rego Foundation; Researcher at INESC-ID’s Information Systems Group; visiting professor at Nova School of Business and Economics and Instituto Superior Técnico. Former Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport, and Communications during the XX Constitutional Government of Portugal with Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho. Vice-President of the Social Democratic Party. Minister of Infrastructure and Housing of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Justice – Rita Alarcão Júdice
Law degree. Lawyer. Partner at PLMJ law firm from 2013 to 2023. Member of the Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Portugal and associate of Women in Real Estate (WIRE Portugal). Minister of Justice of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Internal Affairs – Maria Lúcia Amaral
Ph.D. in Law. Professor at NOVA University Lisbon since 2008. Member of the Constitutional Court from 2007 to 2016 and Vice-President of the same court since 2012. Ombudsman since November 2017.
Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation – Fernando Alexandre
Ph.D. in Economics. Professor at the University of Minho and vice-president of the Economic and Social Council. Former Secretary of State-adjunct of the Minister of Internal Administration in the XIX Constitutional Government. In 2022, he received the UMinho Scientific Merit Award. Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Health – Ana Paula Martins
Ph.D. in Pharmacy. University Professor. Former President of the Order of Pharmacists and Chair of the Board at Lisbon North Hospital and University Center. Minister of Health of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security – Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho
Ph.D. in Law. Full Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Lisbon. President of APODIT – Associação Portuguesa de Direito do Trabalho. Vice-President of ISLSSL – International Society for Labour and Social Security Law. Consultant for the European Commission on gender equality. Minister of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Environment and Energy – Maria da Graça Carvalho
Ph.D. Deputy in the European Parliament and University Professor. Former Minister of Science and Higher Education and Adjunct to the European Commission President from 2006 to 2009. Minister of Environment and Energy of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports – Ana Margarida Balseiro de Sousa Lopes
Law degree. Jurist. Former Deputy to the Assembly of the Republic (2015-2022). Minister of Youth and Modernization of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
Minister of Agriculture and Sea – José Manuel Ferreira Fernandes
Engineering degree. MEP. Former Mayor of Vila Verde. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the XXIV Constitutional Government.
[Updated at 18:51]
