List of premiers of Belmonte

• Top left: Augusto Cintra was the first and longest serving premier in Belmontese history, holding office from 1836 to 1856.
• Top right: Júlio Lobato was the first premier of the New Republic, holding office from 1935 to 1940.
• Bottom left: Rita Maurino was the first female premier, holding office from 2015 to 2020.
• Bottom right: Graça Fonseca is the current premier, having held office since 2020.

The Premier of Belmonte (Luzelese: Premiê de Belmonte), officially the President of the Council of Ministers of the United Republic of Belmonte (Luzelese: Presidente do Conselho de Ministros da República Unida de Belmonte), is the head of government of Belmonte ever since the Belmontese Revolution and the establishment of the Third Republic in 1836, and once again from the creation of the New Republic onwards.

Initially created as one of the provisions of the Riachuelo Agreement between liberals and conservatives, the premier was the head of the cabinet under a primus inter pares system, but the role evolved into a more centralized and presidential position as time passed by, with such centralization being officialized with the 1935 Constitution after the end of the Berquó regime.

The first and longest-serving premier was Augusto Cintra, who served for 20 years from 1836 to 1856, while the shortest-serving premier was Arthur Bernardes who served 7 months and 19 days in 1869. The current premier is Graça Fonseca, from the Socialist Bloc, who assumed office on May 5th 2020.

List

Political parties

Conservative

  PC   URN

Liberal and radical

  PL   PLD   PR   UPC

Social democratic and socialist

  PRP   SBIO   PSD

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Days	Election	Political Party
Third Belmontese Republic (1836–1913)
1		General Augusto Cintra (1794–1881)	18th October 1836	18th October 1856	20 years	1836, 1841, 1846; 1851	C
			The first holder of the office, Cintra was one of the leaders of the Belmontese Revolution that ousted dictator Joaquim Durão out of power and sentenced him to exile. He was one of the main organizers of the Riachuelo Agreement between liberals and conservatives which ensured the oligarchic nature of most of the Third Republic and its long-term stability, assuming the premiership shortly afterwards. His 20-year tenure remains the largest in Belmontese history and was marked by the stabilization of the country and intense economic growth, stepping down in 1856 to be elected president in that same year.
2		Duarte Peixoto (1809–1883)	18th October 1856	26th November 1859	3 years, 1 month and 8 days	1856	C
			Cintra's chosen successor, Peixoto served through a myriad of cabinet posts throughout the former premiership, being elected amid his predecessor's large popularity. However, internal infighting that began after Cintra's departure severely tainted his leadership skills and policies, eventually leading him to be voted out by a motion of no confidence and lose that year's snap election as well.
3		General Cícero de Sá (1799–1877)	26th November 1859	26th November 1864	5 years	1859	L
			A renowned general, Calixto was another leading officer of the Belmontese Revolution and the first liberal leader to be elected since President Plínio Veríssimo in 1828. His premiership was marked by the increase of industrialization and immigration levels in Belmonte, enacting policies that promoted them and the rising urban centres of the time. Nonetheless, without any major events occurring under his premiership, his government was seen as apathetic by most voters, and he was unable to achieve another victory by an energetic conservative leadership.
4		Duarte Peixoto (1809–1883)	26th November 1864	19th February 1866	1 year, 2 months and 24 days	1864	C
			Returning to the premiership after being able to quell most of the party's internal problems, Peixoto resumed the policies of his first premiership, continuing oversseeing the increase of industrialization and immigration that started in the prior government. After a recession that hit the entirety of 1865 and clashes with important members of his cabinet over the year, he was ousted by senior conservative leaders through a motion of no confidence.
5		General Jorge Calixto (1803–1869)	19th February 1866	7th April 1869	3 years, 1 month and 19 days	–	C
			The main responsible for ousting Peixoto out of the premiership, Calixto immediately succeeded him, being partially able to reverse the stagnating situation of the Belmontese economy at the time even though he was capable of maintaining a high popularity among his party and population. He died from unknown natural causes months before the 1869 general election, becoming the first to die in office.
6		Arthur Bernardes (1795–1883)	7th April 1869	26th November 1869	7 months and 19 days	–	C
			Already serving as a caretaker premier days before Calixto's passing, Bernardes continued most of his predecessor's policies and secured the party leadership to run on the upcoming election, but his obscure image towards the general public and poor campaign choices led to his defeat months later.
7		Francisco Gomes (1824–1896)	26th November 1869	15th September 1875	5 years, 9 months and 20 days	1869, 1874	L
			A rising star within the Liberal Party, Gomes was a member of the exalted faction which supported a more reformist agenda. He is credited for modernising the country, restart economic growth and empower urban regions which would further increase immigration and industrialization in the following years, with his biggest contribution being the Electoral Reform Act of 1865 which lowered property qualifications for voting. He was the first premier since Augusto Cintra to be re-elected, but tensions between exalted and moderate liberals led to his resignation a year later.
8		Henrique Prado-Leão (1812–1890)	15th September 1875	26th November 1875	2 months and 11 days	–	L
			One of the most experienced liberal politicians and a former president, Prado-Leão was the first to assume the premiership after serving the presidency, being chosen to end internal strifes within the party exacerbated by the Gomes Government. However, he found himself unable to end most of the conflicts and decided to call a snap election in response to accusations of lack of legitimacy of his government, losing by a narrow margin.
9		General Severino Proença (1819–1885)	26th November 1875	26rd November 1880	5 years	1875	C
			A famous general among conservative circles, Proença's victory was seen as a reaction of most conservative sections of society against the past six years of liberal reformist governments. During his premiership he sided with the already decaying rural oligarchies and the clergy and sidelined the increasing urban elites and the middle class at all, leading to a temporary halt at industrialization rates and economic growth in general. Unpopular, he was able to say in power by having a large conservative base in Congress but was defeated in 1880.
10		Henrique Prado-Leão (1812–1890)	26th November 1880	2nd June 1882	1 year, 6 months and 7 days	1880	L
			Returning to the premiership with a large majority in Congress at the expense of Proença's unpopularity, Prado-Leão, unlike his first government, was successful in quelling internal fighting between exalted and moderate liberals while managing to improve the economy during his first months in office. Still, he became plagued with numerous health issues, and resigned in 1882.
11		João Honório-Graça (1831–1897)	2nd June 1882	7th May 1894	11 years, 11 months and 5 days	1884, 1889	L
			Prado-Leão's chosen successor, Honório-Graça managed to consolidate his position within the party by appealing and working with both factions. His premiership happened during the height of the Third Republic and was marked by an era of unprecedented prosperity, several social and economic reforms, increased nationalism and the establishment of Belmonte as a key relevant nation in regional geopolitics, associating the Liberal Party name to this period that became known as the Liberal Zenith. He declined to run for a third term due to health problems.
12		Renato Borges (1839–1900)	7th May 1894	21st October 1900	6 years, 5 months and 14 days	1894, 1899	C
			The first premier to be born in the Third Republic, Borges reformed his party away from Proença's quasi-reactionary traditionalism in favour of a more moderate agenda that appealed towards the big industrial cities, embracing most economic policies of his predecessor yet halting further social advances to the working class. During his government the first signs of economic degradation, decadence and social strife started to appear in the later years of his premiership, although he is praised for keeping national stability in the midst of nascent extremist groups. He died while in office in 1900.
13		Alexandre Guedes (1837–1905)	21nd October 1900	7th May 1904	3 years, 6 months and 16 days	–	C
			Succeeding Borges after his death, Guedes also was a moderate conservative who kept most of his predecessor's policies, but his poor health led to failure by the government to combat the country's stagnating economy and rising violence, urban decadence and civilian strife, becoming highly unpopular and unable to win an election by his own in 1904.
		Graciliano Gusmão (1849–1937)	7th May 1904	7th May 1909	5 years	1904	L ↓ PRP
14
			Considered to be one of Belmonte's most consequential premiers, Graciliano Gusmão was the leader of the exalted wing of the Liberal Party, winning as an urban reaction to the country's stagnating situation. Promising large-scale reforms, he was opposed by moderate liberals who paralyzed his government, leading to the 1906 riots and causing the end of the Liberal Party and the breaking of the Riachuelo Agreement, ending the decades-long political stability. He founded the Progressive Republican Party shortly afterwards and managed to stay in power through a parliamentary plurarity, refusing to run for a second term due to his unpopularity amid the country's worsening social and economic crisis.
15		João Soverosa (1859–1913)	7th May 1909	13rd November 1909	6 months and 6 days	1909	PRP
			Soverosa served in several cabinet positions during the Gusmão premiership as the intellectual mentor of the government, being able to succeded him as party leader and be elected premier thanks to a coalition with radicals, socialists and councillists. However, ideological differences between the PRP and its more centrist junior partner PR would lead to a successful motion of no confidence against him.
16		Pacheco Dumont (1860–1937)	13rd November 1909	8th April 1911	1 year, 4 months and 26 days	–	PR
			Responsible for the downfal of the former Soverosa government, Pacheco sought for a technocratic government to end the looming political, economic and social crisis, forming a coalition with centrist and centre-right parties. Initially successful, the coalition would soon suffer from constant attacks by the far-left and far-right opposition, effectively making his premiership a lame-duck one. He resigned in favour of someone with a better relationship with Congress.
17		Joaquim Quércia (1862–1938)	8th April 1911	27th June 1911	2 months and 19 days	–	PLD
			Chosen due to his positive relationship with Congress, Quércia remained in the rump Liberal Party reformed into the Liberal Democratic Party, being the leader of the former moderate faction of the previous faction. He found difficulty in convincing centre-left parties to join his coalition due to personal feuds with Soverosa and, after a deadly riot in Castelonovo, he decided to call a snap election to legitimize his government and gain an outright majority, losing by a narrow margin.
18		João Soverosa (1859–1913)	27th June 1911	4th February 1912	7 months and 8 days	1911	PRP
			Returning to the premiership with a narrow majority, Soverosa attempted to resume the planned radical policies of his first government but faced several difficulties in doing so after massive resistance from the right-wing opposition, resulting in another successful motion of no confidence against him, losing by another narrow margin the following snap election even though he was still able to keep himself as party leader.
19		Lauro Borges (1869–1957)	4th February 1912	28th November 1912	9 months and 24 days	1912 (February)	C
			The son of former premier Renato Borges, Lauro Borges was the last conservative premier of Belmonte, although he is credited for saving the Conservative Party from the same fate the liberals had years earlier. Rising into the premiership as a compromise candidate between moderates and extremist rightists in the National Congress, his premiership was marked by the failure of his economic plan intended to revive the Belmontese economy at the time, leading to another motion of no confidence and another election in that same year.
20		João Soverosa (1859–1913)	28th November 1912	8th January 1913	1 month and 11 days	1912 (November)	PRP
			Returning to the premiership once again, Soverosa was the first and only premier to serve under three different occasions. He managed to stay in power through the support of the SBIO and other far-left parties and was reliable on a radical leftist agenda in consequence of the massive polarization of Belmontese society at the time. With most of Congress divided into far-right and far-left lines whilst most of the country was under social unrest, he ended being shot and killed by a disgruntled military officer.
21		Joaquim Quércia (1862–1938)	8th January 1913	12nd May 1913	4 months and 4 days	–	PLD
			Assuming the premiership in an emergential way after Soverosa's death, Quércia was responsible for quelling most of the violent demonstrations after the former's assassination, being capable to calm most of the situation during the entirety of his premiership. He would declare a new election in May, in a move criticized by many due to its prematurity.
22		Lúcio Bonfim (1858–1913)	12th May 1913	22th October 1913	5 months and 10 days	1913	SBIO
			The first socialist premier of Belmonte and the last of the Third Republic, Bonfim was elected in a highly polemical election marked by political violence from both sides of the spectrum. Immediately after assuming the premiership he would launch a wide array of socialist reforms aimed at the establishment of a council republic, inciting the fury of liberal and conservative sectors of society. With the Great Collapse destroying the remaining of Belmontese economy, he tried to convince Congress of giving him emergency powers, resulting in a military coup that killed him followed by 22 years of authoritarian regimes.
National Emergency Junta (1913-1915)
(position abolished)
Fourth Belmontese Republic (1915-1935)
(position abolished)
State of Belmonte (1932-1934)
(position abolished)
Fifth Belmontese Republic (1935-present)
23		Júlio Lobato (1889–1961)	15th January 1935	5th April 1940	5 years, 2 months and 21 days	1935	URN
			The first premier of the Fifth Republic, Lobato was a major resistance leader during the Great War, forcing dictator João Berquó to declare new general elections and ousted him with the support of the Armed Forces after he tried to resist it, becoming premier in the first democratic elections since 1913 afterwards. His premiership was marked by the return of democracy to Belmonte, the trial of former members of the Berquó regime and the prior functionalist state, the beginning of reconstruction of war-torn areas and the establishment of an active Belmontese foreign policy by becoming a founding member of the Community of Nations and the ICD. As promised, he resigned in 1940 and was elected president shortly thereafter.
24		Sílvio Behringer (1889–1947)	5th April 1940	5th April 1945	5 years	1940	URN
			Respected by all factions of his party, Behringer was chosen to be Lobato's successor with no objections. During his tenure, he continued most social and economic policies of his predecessor including the reconstruction of destructed Belmontese infrastructure whilst seeing the first signs of economic recovery. His government also was responsible for promoting the Belmontese modern movement to the mainstream, leaving a cultural footprint that persists today. Although largely popular, he suffered from several health problems reminiscing from his Great War service, retiring from politics after serving one term.
25		Cédrico Alvim (1880–1964)	5th April 1945	5th April 1950	5 years	1945	URN
			The leading member of the URN's progressive wing, Alvim would win the URN leadership election by a narrow margin which included a failed military coup. Once assuming power, he would abandon the post-war economical trends in favour of a more proactive government role, greatly expanding the nascent welfare state of the time, nationalising key sectors of the economy and enacting reformist legislation towards women and the working class. Highly unpopular among conservatives and liberals within the party, he faced several attempts to overthrown him until he was defeated as party leader in 1950, leaving the party and forming the Social Democratic Party soon after.
26		Patrício Gama (1885–1951)	5th April 1950	23rd May 1951	1 year, 1 month and 18 days	1950	URN
			A unifying figure among liberals and conservatives within the URN against Alvim and his progressive wing, Gama halted most social and economic policies of his predecessor although he kept some of the welfare apparatus built in the last government, establishing an economic plan that would remain in place for the next 30 years. He died in a plane crash that killed him and other three cabinet members a year after assuming the premiership.
27		Sebastião Nunes (1893–1977)	23rd May 1951	8th March 1954	2 years, 9 months and 13 days	–	URN
			Assuming provisorily after Gama's death, Nunes would be able to maintain himself in power with his premiership being marked by the continuation of the policies of his predecessor and the end of most reconstruction efforts from the Great War in the majority of Belmontese cities. However, internal infighting among cabinet members combined with a recession that swept most of 1953 led to his situation as premier unsustainable, resigning in March of the following year.
28		João Filgueiras (1912–1981)	8th March 1954	5th April 1955	1 year, 1 month and 26 days	–	URN
			A compromise candidate agreed by party members amid Nunes' resignation, the Filgueiras premiership is largely seen as the continuation of the two previous governments and was mainly marked by economic recovery after the stagnation and recession of the previous year as well as the Filgueiras Law, which largely constrained the activity of leftist groups amid the nascent rise of the PSD. He would refuse to run for the party leadership in favour of Proença's victorious bid.
29		General Jorge Proença (1896–1986)	5th April 1955	5th April 1960	5 years	1955	URN
			The grandson of former premier Severino Proença, Jorge Proença was highly popular among both conservative and liberal circles due to his moderate credentials and military background, succeeding Filgueiras without major objections. His premiership was marked by fast economic recovery and growth combined with fast advances in social, technological and artistic fields in the Belmontese society, while on the ideological camp he sought to combat both rising left-wing groups and radical right-wing movements at the same time. He intended to continue as party leader but a heart attack in 1960 made him run for the presidency instead.
30		Vincente Cunha (1901–1996)	5th April 1960	28th March 1963	2 years, 10 months and 24 days	1960	URN
			Proença's hand-picked successor, Cunha continued the policies of his predecessor whilst also oversaw the continuing of Belmonte's good economic, political and social situation, and by the later days of his premiership started to reverse some of Filgueiras' anti-communist policies due to rising trends of political violence at the time. He resigned on the aftermath of the 1963 Belmontese terrorist attacks.
31		General Lourenço Bittencourt (1899–1991)	28th March 1963	7th September 1969	6 years, 3 months and 5 days	1964	URN
			The leading member of the URN's conservative wing, Bittencourt arose in the premiership in the aftermath of the 1963 attacks under a strong anti-communist agenda, with his premiership being marked by the rising of an authoritarianism last seen during the Berquó Era directed at the leftist opposition, further radicalizing Belmontese society and being one of the main reasons for the beginning of a series of insurgencies known as Mauá's War. Nonetheless, his premiership still oversaw a prosperous economy and his government was widely supported by the resurgent middle class of the time, highly characterized by an ultranationalist rhetoric and large military role in public affairs. He resigned after the death of journalist Anderson Figlioli, which prompted the 1969 protests.
32		Henrique Cotrim (1919–2003)	7th September 1969	25th October 1969	3 months and 22 days	–	URN
			Cotrim assumed the premiership during the height of the 1969 protets and spent most of his first tenure negociating with the opposition to end them. He agreed to call earlier elections, with the URN suffering massive losses against the Democratic Front and losing an election for the first time since its creation.
33		Aldo Silveira (1917–1999)	25th October 1969	9th August 1973	3 years, 9 months and 15 days	1969	UPC
			The leader of the Democratic Front, Silveira was the first non-URN premier of the New Republic, being the head of a coalition of multiple centrist and centre-left parties, chosen as a compromise candidate between them. His premiership was marked by investigations against the excess of the Armed Forces during the previous administration and the reversal of most of its policies, nonetheless, it still remained highly unpopular from the Belmontese population amid a depressing economy and large unemployment, resigning in 1973.
34		Nelson Fletcher (1916–2002)	9th August 1973	25th October 1978	5 years, 2 months and 16 days	1973	PD
			Assuming the premiership on a highly unstable time after Silveira's resignation, Fletcher was able to remain as coalition leader and premier on the ensuing months. His government ruled through most of the 70s and was largely marked by the bad economic situation inherited from his predecessor combined with several failed economic plans to revive it. Massive corruption allegations released by Operation Catrina massively tainted his government and caused the breaking of the Democratic Front into minor centrist and leftist coalitions, leading to the victory of a right-wing coalition headed by the URN in the upcoming election.
35		Henrique Cotrim (1919–2003)	25th October 1978	25th October 1979	1 year	1978	URN
			Returning to the Bensafrim House for a final time, Cotrim's 1-year premiership was found with initial pressure from party and coalition members, largely making his premiership a lame duck one. This, combined with developments of Operation Catrina and discoveries of new corruption schemes, awful economic conditions and disappointment by many of the course of the country took after 1969 led to the 1979 protests, a renewal of the protests from ten years prior, and consequently his resignation and defeat from the leftist opposition.
36		Félix Bragança (1924–2008)	25th October 1979	1st May 1990	10 years, 6 months and 6 days	1979, 1984, 1989	PSD
			The first PSD premier of Belmonte and the longest-serving premier of the New Republic, Bragança was the leading left-wing politician among progressive circles since Cédrico Alvim's death 15 years ago, serving as the main opposition leader throughout the Bittencourt and Fletcher premierships. His premiership was marked by economic recovery and growth combined with various social reforms through a left-wing progressive and nationalist agenda, while on the diplomatic field he sought to begin an independent Belmontese foreign policy by establishing friendly relations with socialist countries over the world. Popular, he was the first premier of the New Republic to be re-elected, but resigned in 1990 amid internal pressure, becoming elected president in the same year.
37		Francisco Dutra (1920–2003)	1st May 1990	18th March 1993	2 years, 10 months and 17 days	–	PSD
			Bragança's successor, Dutra tried to continue most of his predecessor's policies but internal pressure from moderate members made him adopt a more neoliberal agenda which caused the loss of support from radical leftist parties, leading him to declare a snap election to regain legitimacy for his government, losing by a narrow margin for a centre-right coalition headed by the URN.
38		Jorge Castelo (1931–2011)	18th March 1993	18th March 1998	5 years	1993	URN
			The first workable URN government for the past 24 years, Castelo also was the first member of the liberal wing of the party to assume the premiership since Vincente Cunha in 1960, being responsible for modernizing the party through a pragmatic way of leadership while his economic plan was marked by the reversal of the former Bragança and Dutra premierships by adopting neoliberal policies and the Kesselbourg consensus. He stepped down in 1988 in favour of a compromising figure after that year's election resulted in a hung parliament.
39		Celso Pesce (1940–2002)	18th March 1998	5th May 2000	2 years, 1 month and 17 days	1998	UPC
			The first premier to be born in the New Republic, Pesce was chosen as a compromise candidate between several parties amid a hung parliament. His government is largely seen as a continuation of the Castelo premiership but pressure from coalition parties as well as health problems led him to declare a new general election in 2000, causing the URN to return to the Bensafrim House.
40		Paulo Gaertner (1937)	5th May 2000	7th October 2003	3 years, 5 months and 2 days	2000	URN
			Gaertner was able to achieve a majority in the previous election, largely continuing the Kesselbourg consensus policies of the former Castelo and Pesce administrations. While his premiership enjoyed economic prosperity and stability, he was extremely criticised due to his poor response to the 2003 violence outbreak, prompting his resignation.
41		Oswaldo Borges (1934–2011)	7th October 2003	5th May 2005	1 year, 6 months and 28 days	–	URN
			Borges was chosen with almost unanimous support to succeed Gaertner, responsible for the last-time efforts to quell the violence outbreak with success. He served the remaining of Gaertner's term and despite pleas to continue serving as party leader he declined and was crucial in the election of Rosa to the post, retiring from public life afterwards.
42		Ludovico Rosa (1946)	5th May 2005	5th May 2015	10 years	2005, 2010	URN
			The leader of the centrist wing of the party, Rosa was able to win that year's leadership election and was elected thanks to a large centre-right coalition. His premiership oversaw a long period of economic prosperity and growth - despite a brief stagnation during the 2005 recession - under social market and Knowlesbian policies together with a relatively liberal and progressive outlook on social affairs, being re-elected with an outright majority in 2010. Although he was popular during most of his tenure, corruption scandals against several cabinet members during the last years hurt his image, causing a large leftist coalition to defeat him in 2015.
43		Rita Maurino (1958)	5th May 2015	5th May 2020	5 years	2015	PSD
			The first female premier in Belmontese history, Maurino had a long career in both political and judicial fields, being a member of the PSD's centrist wing. Her government was marked by the expansion of welfare services and national infrastructure through an intensification of former Knowlesbian policies, but her willingness to continue most of URN's neoliberal policies as well as apathy towards social issues made her at odds with more progressive parties within her government and, after corruption allegations, she was defeated by another left-wing coalition.

See also

• Premier of Belmonte