The 16 ministers of the XXV Constitutional Government and their respective portfolios have been announced. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has introduced some organizational changes, establishing a new Ministry of State Reform and eliminating Economy and Culture as separate portfolios. What can be expected from this new ministry, and who will lead it?
During the last National Council of the PSD, held last Thursday, Luís Montenegro emphasized administrative modernization and combating bureaucracy as primary priorities for the new administration.
“We are going to initiate a process unlike any previous efforts to make our administration less bureaucratic and to engage the country in a strategy of trust in the functioning of public institutions,” he stated.
Montenegro cautioned against expecting administrative simplification while “demanding rule upon rule” or requiring that “a particular decision needs seven, eight, ten, twelve opinions.”
“The country must understand that if it wants to break this cycle of bureaucratic complexity and delay, it needs to know this brings changes, and these changes require trust, and trust demands punishment for those who betray it. In other words, we want to simplify while holding accountable those who can meet this simplification. That’s what we’re going to do,” he assured.
The Ministry of State Reform has been created, to be led by Gonçalo Saraiva Matias, aged 45, who joins the Constitutional Government also as Minister Adjunct. The area he will oversee is not entirely unfamiliar to him, having served as Deputy Secretary of State for Administrative Modernization in the 27-day government of Passos Coelho in 2015.
Who is Gonçalo Saraiva Matias?
A professor at the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Portugal, where he completed his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies, Gonçalo Nuno da Cruz Saraiva Matias has been, since 2022, President of the Board and Executive Committee of the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, roles he took on after several years as an administrator of the foundation.
Born in Lisbon in 1979, Gonçalo Saraiva Matias was the director of the Católica Global School of Law and specializes in Regulatory, Administrative, Constitutional, and International Law.
He has described poverty as one of the fundamental battles of Portuguese society and conducted research as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University Law School, also serving as a guest professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
He was also director of the Migration Observatory and, in 2024, was among four citizens “of recognized merit” invited to join the National Council for Migrations and Asylum, chaired by António Vitorino.
In 2016, he was awarded the Grand Officer of the Order of Infante D. Henrique, according to his curriculum vitae published on the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation’s website.
What does the opposition say?
Overall, the composition of the Government has not been well-received by the political parties, which were vocal in expressing dissatisfaction and criticism. The establishment of the new Ministry drew specific ire from the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), whose Secretary-General, Paulo Raimundo, claimed it would serve to “cut and strike a blow to public services.”
“Why would the Government create a Ministry of State Reform if not for cuts? Is there anything positive coming from this Government concerning public services? Nothing, it’s all cuts,” said Paulo Raimundo to reporters on the sidelines of a pro-Palestine demonstration in central Lisbon.
Raimundo described the creation of a Ministry of State Reform as “a sign” of the Government’s view of public services, sarcastically noting that “dismantling the NHS wasn’t enough, the enormous pressure on schools, what they want to do to Social Security.”
“Apparently, the Government wants to take an even bigger step, that is, to strike a blow at public services. It’s no surprise; we expected it to happen, but what was uncertain was whether it would result in a new ministry dealing a blow to public services,” he emphasized.
Parties have already reacted to the choice of new figures in the administration. Generally, criticisms center on what is seen as a “continuity” government, with the main target being the Health Minister, who remains in office.
It should be noted that Gonçalo Saraiva Matias is, alongside Maria Lúcia Amaral, one of the new names in the ministerial lineup submitted by the designated prime minister to the President of the Republic yesterday. Carlos Abreu Amorim also joins the list of ministers, transitioning from the Secretariat of State for Parliamentary Affairs.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the 16 ministers of the XXV Constitutional Government will be sworn in today at 18:00 at the National Palace of Ajuda, only 18 days after the AD’s victory in the May 18 elections.
The Secretaries of State of the XXV Constitutional Government, who have yet to be announced, will take office on Friday at 12:00.
