Surf, take care of your pass, read or just rest. Today is the first day of the rest of their lives: what Costa’s now former ministers will do

A cycle has ended, the Costa Era. And, to that end, there are videos that change. Or that, at least, they return to where they were before the adventure that was governing. We challenged former ministers to tell us what this first day will be like without a cabinet full of decisions to make

António Costa was the first to give the sign of a new life. The now former prime minister returned to college for a postgraduate degree. He is studying Contract Litigation, Mediation and Arbitration at Universidade Católica. There are those who saw this training as the first step towards a journey in Brussels.

However, starting this Wednesday, many socialist lives will change. CNN Portugal contacted several socialist ministers. Some agreed to reveal their plans from now on.

This Wednesday morning, Manuel Pizarro, the last head of Health, will go to Parliament “to comply with the reception procedures. Yesterday he was taking care of his pass, so he could go by metro to his new job as a deputy. But after the Assembly of the Republic, for today, there are more plans: “see the exhibition of Maria Lamas’ photographs at the Gulbenkian”.

José Luís Carneiro, former Minister of Internal Administration, will also take advantage of this first day without government functions to “deal with declarations regarding the registration of interests in the Assembly of the Republic” and “prepare working conditions in Parliament”.

The former minister also anticipates how others will go through the experience of getting used to a new cabinet as ministers today. “Everyone has their own working method, but, in my case, on the first day I tried to see what was in the transition folder and went to introduce myself to the employees of the Ministry’s general secretariat”.

“I’m going to take my life out of the ‘suspended’ state it’s been in for eight years.” Still, Ana Mendes Godinho, former Minister of Labor, will have to wake up early. Not because of her, but because of her son, who she has to take to the airport at 7am “because he’s going to volunteer in Cape Verde”.

Ana Mendes Godinho, who was in socialist governance from day one, first as Secretary of State for Tourism, then as minister, now becomes deputy. You will create an email so people can send proposals “for this new mission”. But he has many plans to fill his days: “reading, being with my children and friends”.

To his successor, he outlines what he will find: “there will be a barrage of emails, phone calls and messages with invitations and requests for meetings”. Four years ago, he began his mandate “getting to know all the people” who worked at the Ministry. Now, he left “a transition folder prepared” and a “welcome manual”.

After discussing his return to college and going to the inauguration, Pedro Adão e Silva, former Minister of Culture, dedicated the rest of the night to Benfica-Sporting. But today, the plans are far from the capital: “I’m going to surf on the Alentejo coast”.

Also returning to college today is João Costa, former Minister of Education. The plan for this new cycle, he says, “is nothing special”. Before joining the Government in 2015, he was in charge of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. There are already several exhibitions on the agenda: “the Maria Lamas and Gageiro exhibitions will not fail in the first few days”.

Elvira Fortunato, a scientist who debuted in government roles in the last government, recognizes that “in these two years my life was a little disorganized”. Therefore, these first moments will be for resting, for organizing yourself. “Then I will continue with the investigation. It is logical that I will return to Universidade Nova de Lisboa, which is my professional home”.