Luís Montenegro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Luís Montenegro
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montenegro in 2024
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister of Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 2 April 2024 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | António Costa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President of the Social Democratic Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 1 July 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary-General | Hugo Soares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Rui Rio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Assembly of the Republic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 26 March 2024 – 2 April 2024 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Lisbon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 4 April 2002 – 5 April 2018 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Aveiro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Luís Filipe Montenegro Cardoso de Morais Esteves
16 February 1973 Porto, Portugal |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (1991–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Carla Neto Montenegro
(m. 2000) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Palacete de São Bento | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Catholic University of Portugal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Luís Filipe Montenegro Cardoso de Morais Esteves (born on February 16, 1973) is a Portuguese politician and lawyer. He has been the Prime Minister of Portugal since April 2024. He is also the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and leads the current government.
Montenegro was a member of the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal's parliament) from 2002 to 2018. He represented the Aveiro area. During this time, he led his party's group in parliament from 2011 to 2017. After trying to become the leader of his party in 2020 and not winning, he tried again in 2022 and won. This made him the President of the PSD.
Under Montenegro's leadership, the PSD and another party, CDS-PP, formed a group called the Democratic Alliance. They won the most seats in the 2024 Portuguese legislative election. He was then chosen by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to be prime minister. His first government was a minority government, meaning it did not have a majority of seats in parliament. This government ended in March 2025 after losing a vote of confidence. However, the Democratic Alliance won more seats in the next election in May 2025, and Montenegro formed a new government.
Contents
About Luís Montenegro
Early Life and Education
Luís Montenegro was born in Porto, Portugal. He grew up in Espinho, which is in the Aveiro District. He studied law at the Catholic University of Portugal and became a lawyer, just like his father and grandfather.
Start in Politics
Montenegro was involved in politics from a young age. He led the youth group of the Social Democratic Party in Espinho from 1994 to 1996. He also served on the Espinho city council from 1997 to 2009. In 2005, he ran to become the mayor of Espinho but did not win.
Time in Parliament
In 2002, when he was 29, Montenegro was elected to the Assembly of the Republic, Portugal's parliament. He represented the Aveiro area. In 2010, he became a deputy leader for his party's group in parliament. In June 2011, he was chosen to lead the PSD's parliamentary group. This happened after Pedro Passos Coelho, another PSD member, became prime minister.
During his time leading the parliamentary group, Portugal faced a difficult economic period. Montenegro supported strict economic plans that were put in place to help the country. He left parliament in February 2018.
Leading the Social Democratic Party
After his party lost the 2019 election, Montenegro decided to run for the leadership of the PSD again in January 2020. He ran against Rui Rio, but Rio won that election.
However, after the PSD did not do well in the 2022 election, Rui Rio resigned. Montenegro ran for party leader again in May 2022. This time, he won with a large number of votes, becoming the President of the PSD.
In January 2024, under Montenegro's leadership, the PSD teamed up with another party, CDS-PP. They formed an alliance called the Democratic Alliance to improve their chances in the upcoming national elections. In the 2024 Portuguese legislative election, the Democratic Alliance won the most seats. One of Montenegro's promises during his campaign was to fully privatize TAP Air Portugal, a major airline.
On March 21, 2024, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa officially asked Montenegro to form a new government. His government was then approved by the president on March 28.
Prime Minister of Portugal
.png)
Luís Montenegro became the Prime Minister of Portugal on April 2, 2024. He leads the XXIV Constitutional Government of Portugal. Before taking office, Montenegro said he would lead a minority government instead of forming a coalition with the Chega party. He described Chega's leader as often having extreme views.
In May 2024, Montenegro's government announced that a new airport for Lisbon would be built in Alcochete. It is expected to be ready by 2034.
Before the 2024 European Parliament election in Portugal, Montenegro announced stricter rules for immigration in Portugal. He said the old rules had led to too much misuse of Portugal's willingness to welcome people.
In July 2024, he announced a plan to lower the corporate income tax for businesses from 21% to 15%. This change would mean about 500 million euros less for the government each year.
In September 2024, Montenegro ran for the PSD leadership again and was the only candidate. He won with a very high percentage of votes.
Government Challenges and Elections
In early 2025, Montenegro's government faced questions about a company linked to his family. This led to a motion of no confidence being proposed by an opposition party. Montenegro challenged parliament to confirm their trust in him. On March 11, 2025, he lost the vote of confidence, which meant his government had to resign.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa then called for new elections. The 2025 Portuguese legislative election took place on May 18, 2025. In this election, Montenegro's Democratic Alliance again won the most seats in parliament, but still did not have a majority. The Democratic Alliance gained more seats, while the Socialist Party lost some.
On May 29, 2025, Montenegro was again asked to form a new government. The XXV Constitutional Government of Portugal was officially sworn in on June 5, 2025.
Personal Life
When he was a child, Montenegro was nicknamed Ervilha, which means "Pea," because he was small, round, and had green eyes. His family called him by his middle name, Filipe. As a young person, he played football and beach volleyball, and also worked as a lifeguard. Later, he started playing golf. In football, he supports FC Porto and S.C. Espinho, which are the teams from his hometown and where he lives. He is married and has two children.
Images for kids
-
Montenegro speaks at the PSD's 40th National Congress, July 12, 2022
See also
In Spanish: Luís Montenegro para niños
