- Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa has unveiled his new government team.
- For the first time there are more women than men in the Portuguese government.
- The swearing-in of the new members of the government is scheduled for next week.
After Costa had led two minority governments since the end of 2015, his Socialist Party (PS) won the absolute majority of seats in the Assembleia da República in Lisbon in the January 30 election. It was only the second time since the country’s return to democracy after the Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974, that the PS had achieved such a success.
Legend:
Mariana Vieira da Silva remains Presidential Minister, but has also been appointed as the new Deputy Prime Minister.
key stone
11 of the 17 ministers are new to the government team. Probably the most important change: the former mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina, will replace João Leão as the new finance minister.
The former defense minister, João Gomes Cravinho, will become the country’s new chief diplomat as foreign minister. Helena Carreiras will take over his previous post, making her the first female defense minister in the history of the southern European country. José Luís Carneiro remains Minister of the Interior.
Costa has many problems to solve
Costa is facing major challenges: the left and right rivals of the PS complain, among other things, about the high tax burden, the low pensions of often less than 300 euros, the sometimes miserable salaries and the worsening housing shortage.
In addition, two budgets have to be approved this year. One for 2022 and a few months later the one for the coming year. And since the election, another huge problem has arisen: Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine threatens an economic crisis.