After the first meeting of the Council of Ministers of the new Government, it was António Leitão Amaro, minister of the Presidency and number three in the Executive, who led the briefing to the media.
Ensuring that the new Executive will be a big change for the Portuguesebut also “humble” and “dialogue”, Leitão Amaro revealed that the 17 ministers and the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, are already preparing the Government program.
They started doing it today, a few hours after taking office, and they have until April 10th – next Wednesday, to deliver it to Parliament. Before that, Leitão Amaro also revealed that decisions are already being made.
The first, the commitment that the PSD had already made to change the Government’s logo.
“We did so by returning to a logo that had been used by several previous Governments and which restores essential symbols of our identity, history and culture”, he said.
Furthermore, the Council of Ministers decided to mandate the Minister of Justice – Rita Júdice – to lead a dialogue process with all parties with parliamentary seats, with sector agents and even with civil society, with one objective: to approve a “ambitious, effective and consensual” package of measures to combat corruption.
Questioned by journalists about electoral promises regarding police officers, teachers and even the health sector, Leitão Amaro guaranteed that this Executive will govern fulfilling commitments of the electoral program.
Despite this, he recalled that there are “budgetary limitations” and asked for understanding and a sense of responsibility to everyone, without revealing whether an amending Budget will be presented.
The Minister of the Presidency also reaffirmed the Executive’s desire to dialogue with everyone, highlighting that “the people voted for several parties”.
“It is a Government of dialogue, but everyone has responsibility”.
When asked why the Housing portfolio does not have an exclusive Ministry, as happened in António Costa’s last Executive, he recalled that “there is a Ministry” and that it is integrated with Infrastructure.
“It is the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, which I guarantee will be committed to resolving a crisis that costs all Portuguese people a lot, especially younger people whose low salaries are not enough to pay for a house.”
Regarding the previous Government’s decision to have a Ministry just for Housing, he said that, despite this, “the crisis has worsened” and that the measures taken were “inadequate”ensuring that, now, measures will be taken that “will make a difference”.
Regarding decisions such as carrying out national exams in digital format, the location of the new Lisbon airport and also in relation to dialogue meetings with various sectors, promised concrete answers for the “next few weeks”ensuring that the processes will be speedy.
The head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, swore in this Tuesday the prime minister and then the 17 ministers of the minority Executive formed by PSD and CDS-PP, in the Ambassadors’ Room of the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, 23 days after the elections early legislative elections of March 10,
The XXIV Constitutional Government will be completed with the inauguration of the Secretaries of State, scheduled for Friday.
Tags: Government takes stock Council Ministers
--
