Two new ministries (Culture, Equality and Citizenship and Administrative Modernization), eight new ministers, but more or less the same structure as the previous government – these are the novelties of the governing team that Pedro Passos Coelho presented this morning at the Palace of Belém, to the President of the Republic Cavaco Silva.
The new ministers are, from the outset, the two responsible for the new ministries – the former Secretary of State for Equality Teresa Morais will be minister of Culture, Equality and Citizenship, and constitutionalist Rui Medeiros will be minister of Administrative Modernization.
Carlos Costa Neves, deputy of the PSD and former leader of the PSD/Azores, will be the new minister of Parliamentary Affairs, a portfolio that left over from the previous ministry of Marques Guedes.
But, in the ministries that remain, there are also changes, the most prominent of which is the departure of Paulo Macedo, who cedes the Health portfolio to his former Secretary of State, Leal da Costa.
But Miguel Poiares Maduro also leaves, with the Minister of Regional Development (and of the Presidency) becoming Luís Marques Guedes, as well as Pires de Lima, who succeeds Miguel Morais Leitão as Minister of Economy. The latter was Deputy Secretary of State for Paulo Portas and his promotion lets keep the quota four CDS ministers.
In court, Paula Teixeira da Cruz leaves, who is replaced by Fernando Negrão, who was a deputy. In Education and Science, the ever-controversial Nuno Crato gives way to Margarida Mano, former vice-rector of the University of Coimbra, an independent who headed the coalition's list for Coimbra.
Finally, Anabela Rodrigues, considered by many to be an error of casting from the previous government, was replaced by João Calvão da Silva, in the Ministry of Internal Administration. Calvão da Silva is president of the PSD's National Jurisdiction Council.
In addition to Passos Coelho and Paulo Portas, Maria Luís Albuquerque, Rui Machete, Aguiar-Branco, Marques Guedes, Assunção Cristas and Pedro Mota Soares remain unchanged.
The President of the Republic, who received the appointed prime minister this Tuesday, gave the green light to the executive proposal presented by Pedro Passos Coelho. The new executive takes office next Friday, October 30th, at 12:00 pm, at Palácio da Ajuda.
Cast of the new Government:
Pedro Passos Coelho – Prime Minister
Paulo Portas – Deputy Prime Minister;
Maria Luís Albuquerque – Minister of State and Finance;
Rui Machete – Minister of State and Foreign Affairs;
José Pedro Aguiar-Branco – Minister of National Defence;
Luís Marques Guedes – Minister of the Presidency and Regional Development;
João Calvão da Silva - Minister of Internal Administration;
Fernando Negrão – Minister of Justice;
Jorge Moreira da Silva – Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy;
Assunção Cristas – Minister of Agriculture and the Sea;
Luís Mota Soares – Minister of Solidarity, Employment and Social Security;
Miguel Morais Leitão – Minister of Economy;
Leal da Costa – Minister of Health;
Margarida Mano – Minister of Education and Science;
Rui Medeiros – Minister of Administrative Modernization;
Teresa Morais – Minister of Culture, Equality and Citizenship;
Carlos Costa Neves – Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
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