Portugal’s center-right minority government began its term on Tuesday, facing challenges and opportunities after a radical right party’s popularity surged.
The new center-right minority government in Portugal took office on Tuesday, soon after its parliamentary test underscored the challenges and possibilities it faces following the rise of a radical right populist party in the recent general election.
Only one of the 17 ministers sworn in at a ceremony in Lisbon’sAjuda National Palace has previous top-level government experience.Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who promised a Cabinet made up of specialists from outside the usual political circles, has not previously served in any government role.
Some key members of the Cabinet have spent time in Brussels and are familiar with the European Union’s corridors of power. They include Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel and Defence Minister Nuno Melo, who were European lawmakers from 2009.
Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, a professor at a Lisbon university, is expected to play a key role in the new administration’s efforts to curb historically ruinous government overspending. He advocates for fiscal policies that encourage investment and savings.
Montenegro, the new prime minister, vowed to deliver on his election promises of lower taxes, higher salaries and pensions, and improved public services by making the economy more competitive and the government more efficient.
The government will lower corporate tax from 21% to 15% over the next three years, he said in a speech.
