New Government will have a secretariat of State for the Algarve, it's an April Fools' Day joke

O new government, which takes office tomorrow, on the 2nd of April, there will be, the Sul Informação, a State secretariat for the Algarve. Yes, you read that right, secretary and not secretary.

If you believed that the new Government would have a secretariat of State for the Algarve, this means that you “fell” into our joke on April 1st, April Fools' Day, a tradition that Sul Informação maintained since its creation.

The truth is that, as far as we know, there is no intention on the part of the Government to create this State Secretariat, much less names profiled to occupy the position.

We appreciate everyone's understanding, especially those who believed in this innocent joke.

Luís Montenegro's decision to create a State secretariat dedicated to the Algarve was very considered - and little consensual -, but social democratic sources, heard by the Sul Informação, said that the new prime minister believes that the peculiarities and challenges that the Algarve faces, whether in housing, mobility, health or combating drought, deserve a dedicated member of the Government.

The decision was also influenced by the electoral result in the Algarve, which ended with a victory for Chega and with AD as the third force, in terms of votes, but also due to the fact that the head of the coalition's list for the Algarve was a “parachutist” - now minister.

Montenegro believes that by creating a State secretariat dedicated to the Algarve, the region will not be able to complain of forgetfulness, will apologize for choosing number one on the legislative list and will be grateful to the prime minister who took the risky decision.

This state secretariat will be in the ministerial area of ​​Territorial Cohesion, supervised by Manuel Castro Almeida.

As for the name for Secretary of State, there are several possibilities on the table.

Cristóvão Norte, our newspaper knows, started out as the name put on the table, but Montenegro will prefer a politician with great experience.

Thus, the fight should be between Mendes Bota and Macário Correia, with the latter having the advantage, as he has experience in government and in drip irrigation.