In remarks to journalists at the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda in Lisbon, following her swearing-in as Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral stated that she could not yet set priorities, as she had just taken office, and her main goal now is to “evaluate the situations well and take stock of things.”
“I am not in a position to answer anything, because I have just taken office and will study the dossiers,” she noted.
When asked if she considers the role of Internal Administration challenging, Maria Lúcia Amaral replied: “This is not an easy role, but is there any that is?”
At 68, Maria Lúcia Amaral, the current Ombudsperson, was chosen by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro to replace Margarida Basco as Minister of Internal Administration.
Maria Lúcia Amaral was first elected as Ombudsperson by the Assembly of the Republic on October 20, 2017, officially taking up the position on November 2 of the same year. Four years later, on December 3, 2021, she assumed the office for a second term.
Prior to this, she was elected by the Assembly of the Republic to the Constitutional Court in 2007 and five years later became vice-president of Palácio Ratton, a position she held until 2016.
