Thursday, March 28

Costa bets on a renewed Government in Portugal in the face of international instability


The Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, has taken possession of his position this Wednesday together with the rest of the ministers of his new Government. A smaller Executive than that of the previous legislature and with new faces in key portfolios, in an attempt by Costa to give a renewed air to what will be his third legislature, marked by the international economic instability due to the conflict in Ukraine and the management of European recovery funds, which will be key to keeping economic activity afloat in the coming months.

Costa, who will govern with an absolute majority, already warned after his victory in the legislative elections last January that the new Executive would have fewer ministries than the previous one -they will be 17 in front of the 19 of the previous legislature – in what he described as a “concentration” government to face the economic recovery after the pandemic. The number of Secretaries of State has also been reduced, in this case from 50 to 38. It will also be the Executive more egalitarian since the Carnation Revolution, with nine ministers and eight ministers.

Most notable changes

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Among the most notable changes is the departure of key ministers during the previous legislature, such as the head of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, who was appointed President of Parliament on Tuesday. Another noteworthy casualty is that of the former Minister of Justice and the Interior, Francisca Van Dunem, one of the most visible faces of the Executive in recent months. Until now the head of Defense, João Gomes Cravinho, will take charge of Foreign Affairs and his position will be occupied for the first time by a woman, Helena Carreiras.

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The new ministers have a more political profile than his predecessors, including the new Minister of Environment and Climate Action, Duarte Cordeiro -who was Costa’s campaign manager in the last elections-, the Minister of Finance, Fernando Medina -who was mayor of Lisbon until the end of last year- or the until now socialist parliamentary leader, Ana Catarina Mendes, who will be in charge of the portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs. The objective is to deal with a weakened but more belligerent opposition, with the extreme right as the third political force in Parliament.


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