In the list of secretaries of state presented by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro to the President of the Republic, “four or five names are missing,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa himself said this Friday. The head of state therefore justified the late disclosure of the rest of the government list late Thursday evening to ensure there were “no objections” to Montenegro’s proposals.
What is certain is that 41 new members of the executive branch were sworn in this Friday at the Palácio da Ajuda by the head of state.
In total, the government led by Luis Montenegro now has 59 members – two more than first chief executive António Costa – including 24 women, seventeen of whom are secretaries of state.
One of the names that attracts attention among the chosen ones of Montenegro is precisely a woman’s name because of her family connections. This is now former deputy Clara Marques Mendes, sister of commentator and former PSD President Luis Marques Mendes, who took over as Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion.
Another striking character among the new secretaries of state is CDS leader Telmo Correia, who becomes Minister of Internal Administration after serving as Minister of Tourism in the executive branch headed by Pedro Santana Lopez.
Carlos Abreu Amorim, a former deputy who is also one of the new names in the government, returns to the center of the political scene as Undersecretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs, along with Minister Leitão Amaru.
Among the 41 secretaries of state there are also two advisers to the President of the Republic: Helder Reis, who was economic adviser to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and will be in charge of regional development; and Nuno Sampaio, who was political adviser at the Civil Chamber and will become Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The new government will gather all its members this Saturday at an informal meeting of the Council of Ministers in Obidos.
Author: João Maltes This Diogo Carreira
Source: CM Jornal
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