“U The decision worries the association, “because right from the start, it signals a certain weakness or a lack of definition of the importance of Culture in political life in the 21st century.” The portfolios of Culture, Youth, and Sports will now be led by the jurist Margarida Balseiro Lopes, who was previously the Minister of Youth and Modernization. Implementation of the PRR in areas of cultural heritage and digital transition, Patronage Law, Fixed Price Book Law, and the new Financing Program for the Audiovisual and Cinema Industry, currently under public consultation, now add to the minister’s tasks in the 25th Constitutional Government. The oversight of the Directorate-General for the Arts, with its support programs that ensure funding and existence of structures and artistic manifestations across the country, is another competency that transitions to the new ministry. Performart found the decision even more surprising, given the positions taken by PSD and CDS-PP during a debate organized by the association, with representatives from parties with parliamentary seats, during the campaign for the legislative elections on May 18. “The parties that make up AD were present at this debate and expressed total support [for the sector] and argued that the importance of Culture in policies and the value of Culture to combat exclusion, hate speech, and to promote territorial and social cohesion was fundamental,” said Pedro Alves. For Performart, merging Culture, Youth, and Sports under the same minister “sends the message and conveys the image that Culture can be transformed and aligned with several other sectors of society, almost as if it were a ministry of Leisure, when, in fact, it would make perfect sense for Culture to have its own ministry.” The association will now “wait for the policies and what were the promises and ideas conveyed in AD’s electoral program to be fulfilled, notably a revision and close monitoring of the status of Culture professionals, a substantial increase in the budget for Culture, and a series of other policies that either were being developed or were said to be necessary and urgent.” Regarding the choice of Margarida Balseiro Lopes, Pedro Alves noted that “apparently, she does not have known knowledge or connections to the area of Culture and the sector.” “We will wait for her to be surrounded by a good team and to maintain dialogue with the sector, with associations and professionals, to indeed strengthen a sector that is, and must be seen as, central to the building of societies,” he said. Vice-president of PSD and head of the list for Leiria in the May 18 legislative elections, former deputy Balseiro Lopes is very close to Luís Montenegro and has taken on more sensitive roles in relation to the extreme right, such as racism and sexual discrimination. Throughout her term, Balseiro Lopes maintained the main policy lines on this matter and avoided some controversies, focusing on the digital transition and modernization of the country’s administrative apparatus, with the strengthening of the Citizen’s Shops network, strategies for childhood and youth, and combating poverty. The designated Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, presented his second Government on Wednesday, which will have 16 ministries, one less than the previous one, and will retain 13 of the 17 ministers from the outgoing executive. The inauguration of the 25th Constitutional Government will take place today at 6:00 PM, 18 days after the elections, marking the fastest government formation process in the presidential mandates of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
