In the Ambassador’s Hall of the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, 18 days after the early legislative elections of May 18, the head of state swore in the prime minister followed by the 16 ministers of the second PSD/CDS-PP government led by Luís Montenegro.
The XXV Constitutional Government will be completed with the swearing-in of the secretaries of state, scheduled for Friday at 12:00 p.m.
The ceremony today, which began precisely at 6:00 p.m., saw the members of the new executive called individually by hierarchical order to take the oath and sign the inauguration document, a process that lasted approximately 14 minutes.
Attending this inauguration ceremony were the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco; the Attorney General, Amadeu Guerra, and also the presidents of the superior courts, among numerous other guests.
Present were the leaders of the second and third largest parliamentary forces: André Ventura, leader of Chega, and Carlos César, currently serving as interim secretary-general of the PS.
For the first time placed as the leader of the largest opposition party in the order of precedence, Ventura was seated next to the Attorney General, Amadeu Guerra.
Ten minutes before the inauguration, Carlos César and André Ventura were filmed conversing with the parliamentary leaders of the PSD and the CDS-PP, Hugo Soares and Paulo Núncio, at times with laughter and at other times with more serious expressions.
In the front row for the swearing-in were three out of four outgoing ministers: Pedro Reis, Pedro Duarte, and Margarida Blasco, one of the most greeted.
Under Article 187 of the Constitution, “the prime minister is appointed by the President of the Republic, after consulting the parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic and considering the election results,” while “the remaining members of the Government are appointed by the President of the Republic, upon the proposal of the prime minister.”
The second member in the government hierarchy is Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel, followed by Minister of State and Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro, and Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion Manuel Castro Almeida.
The new Deputy Minister and for State Reform, Gonçalo Matias, was the sixth to take office, followed by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Carlos Abreu Amorim (who was promoted from State Secretary in the same department), Minister of National Defense and leader of the CDS-PP, Nuno Melo, and Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz.
This was followed by Minister of Justice Rita Alarcão Júdice and the second new face in this Government, Minister of Internal Administration Maria Lúcia Amaral.
Minister of Education, Science and Innovation Fernando Alexandre, Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins, Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, Minister of Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Margarida Balseiro Lopes, and Minister of Agriculture and Sea José Manuel Fernandes complete the list of 16 ministers, one less than in the XXIV Government.
In the early elections of May 18, the AD coalition (PSD/CDS-PP) won again without an absolute majority, electing 91 MPs in 230 (11 more than a year ago), of which 89 are from the PSD and two from the CDS-PP.
Chega became the second-largest parliamentary force, with 60 MPs, followed by the PS with 58, IL with nine, Livre with six, PCP with three, and BE, PAN, and JPP with one each.
