Prime Minister of Portugal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic
Flag of the prime minister
Government logo
Incumbent Luís Montenegro since 2 April 2024 (2024-04-02)
Government of Portugal Council of Ministers of Portugal
Style	Mr. Prime Minister (informal - male) Madam Prime Minister (informal - female) His/Her Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Council of State Council of Ministers European Council
Reports to	Parliament President
Residence	Palacete de São Bento
Seat	Lisbon, Portugal
Appointer	President
Term length	Four years no term limits
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Portugal (1976)
Precursor	Secretary of State
Inaugural holder	Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela
Formation	24 September 1834 (190 years ago) (1834-09-24)
Succession	Minister appointed by the President
Salary	€116,144 annually

The Prime Minister of Portugal is the main leader of the Government of Portugal. Think of them as the chief executive, like a CEO for the country's government. Their official title in Portuguese is Primeiro-Ministro.

The Prime Minister has many important jobs. They guide the work of all the other government ministers. They also represent the government to other parts of the state, like the parliament and the President. The Prime Minister is responsible to the parliament and keeps the President updated on government activities.

Portugal has a special system called a semi-presidential republic. This means the President has some powers, but the Prime Minister is the most powerful political figure in the government. There is no limit to how many times a person can be Prime Minister. The President chooses the Prime Minister after national elections. Usually, it's the leader of the party that won the most votes.

History of the Prime Minister Role

For a long time, even in the Middle Ages, some officials in Portugal's royal court were more important than others. They acted a bit like early prime ministers. These roles included the chanceler-mor (chancellor) and the mordomo-mor (mayor of the palace).

The first modern Prime Minister of Portugal was Pedro de Sousa Holstein. He started his job on September 24, 1834. His title was Presidente do Conselho de Ministros, which means "President of the Council of Ministers".

Over the years, the title changed a few times. In 1911, it became Presidente do Ministério ("President of the Ministry"). Then, in 1933, it went back to Presidente do Conselho de Ministros. The title we use today, Primeiro-Ministro (Prime Minister), became official in 1976. This happened after the Carnation Revolution in 1974, which brought democracy to Portugal.

Who is the Current Prime Minister?

The current Prime Minister of Portugal is Luís Montenegro. He started his term on April 2, 2024. He is the 14th Prime Minister of the Third Portuguese Republic, which is the current democratic period in Portugal.

The official home and office for the Prime Minister is the Palacete de São Bento. This is a beautiful mansion located right next to the parliament building.

Past Prime Ministers of the Third Portuguese Republic

Here are the Prime Ministers who have served since 1976:

• 1st Mário Soares (served two times)
• 2nd Alfredo Nobre da Costa
• 3rd Carlos Mota Pinto
• 4th Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo
• 5th Francisco Sá Carneiro
• (interim) Diogo Freitas do Amaral – He was the Deputy Prime Minister
• 6th Francisco Pinto Balsemão (served two times)
• Mário Soares (served a third time)
• 7th Aníbal Cavaco Silva (served three times)
• 8th António Guterres (served two times)
• 9th José Manuel Barroso
• 10th Pedro Santana Lopes
• 11th José Sócrates (served two times)
• 12th Passos Coelho (served two times)
• 13th António Costa (served three times)
• 14th Luís Montenegro (currently serving)

The Prime Minister's Official Residence

The Palacete de São Bento is a grand mansion built in 1877. It is located behind the main building of the Portuguese Parliament. This mansion has been the official residence and office for the Prime Minister since 1938.

Even though it's the official residence, not all Prime Ministers have chosen to live there. However, the current Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, does live in the mansion.

List of Prime Ministers

How Long They Served

Timeline of Prime Ministers (Since 1976)

This timeline shows when each Prime Minister served since 1976 and which political party they belonged to.

How Prime Ministers Are Ranked

Newspapers sometimes ask people to rank past Prime Ministers. In 2012 and 2014, a newspaper called i and a company named Pitagórica did polls. They asked people to choose the best Prime Minister from the seven most recent ones.

The results showed that people generally saw three Prime Ministers as the best. These were António Guterres (who served from 1995–2002), Mário Soares (1976–78 and 1983–85), and Aníbal Cavaco Silva (1985–95). António Guterres was ranked as the best in both polls.

On the other hand, four Prime Ministers were generally ranked as the least popular. These were José Manuel Durão Barroso (2002–04), Pedro Santana Lopes (2004–05), José Sócrates (2005–11), and Pedro Passos Coelho (2011–15).

See also

In Spanish: Primer ministro de Portugal para niños

• Leader of the Opposition (Portugal)
• Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal
• President of Portugal

Images for kids

• 

  Facade of the São Bento Mansion.

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  Interior of the Mansion.