Cabinet of Belmonte

Cabinet of Belmonte Gabinete de Belmonte
28th Cabinet of Belmonte
Incumbent
Coat of arms of Belmonte
Date formed	05 May 2020
People
Head of state	Caetano Villa-Lobos
Head of government	Graça Fonseca
Deputy head of government	João Campos
No. of ministers	19
Member party	Socialist Bloc Social Workers' Party Green Party
Status in legislature	Majority
Opposition cabinet	Shadow Cabinet
Opposition party	National Conservative Union
Opposition leader	João Sócrates
History
Election(s)	2020
Predecessor	Maurino Cabinet

The Cabinet of Belmonte (Iustian: Gabinete de Belmonte), officially the Council of Ministers of the United Republic of Belmonte (Iustian: Conselho de Ministros da República Unida de Belmonte), is the collective decision-making body of the Government of Belmonte, being presided by the premier who draws its members from the National Congress. The cabinet forms, alongside the premier and the president, the executive branch of the Belmontese government.

History

The first council of ministers was created on the aftermath of the liberal victory in the Federalist Revolt and the establishment of the First Belmontese Republic. Despite being a presidential republic in which the presidency was granted several powers, president Aranha established several federal departments and institutions including the cabinet, which was composed by four ministers at the time, expanding to six before the 1828 Coup. With the introduction of a parliamentary system in the Second Republic, the cabinet would have its powers greatly expanded with the premier being its head under a primus inter pares system, however, with the National Renovation Coup and Berquó's rise to power in 1913, the cabinet would found itself reduced to a simple advisory council with no power whatsoever, with the 1936 constitution solidifying this situation by giving to the premiership presidential-like powers.

Composition

The Aranha Building in central Castelonovo.

Cabinet ministers are called secretaries and can be appointed and dismissed by the president at any time with the premier's consent and approval. Despite the Belmontese premier being theoretically under a primus inter pares system, the office has total preeminence over the cabinet since the Third Republic, having total control of his ministers and agenda. However, some premiers have opted for using a more cohesive and diplomatic way of governing, leading to more powerful and independent secretaries. This could also be seen in coalition governments, where many high-ranking offices are given to party leaders, thus having more influence on government affairs.

According to law, all cabinet members must come from congress. Although no senators are prevented from being appointed, political conventions have preferred members from the Chamber of Deputies rather than the Senate, with the last senators that were appointed to the cabinet being Emílio Braga in 2003 and Márcio Ramirez in 2007.

Cabinet meetings

Every week, the premier and all members of the cabinet meets to discuss the most relevant issues of the government. The weekly meetings were officially established in 1938 - before that, the cabinet was called spontaneously, maybe several times a week. Since 1957, the cabinet meets every Monday (previously every Wednesday) at 7 p.m, varying in length depending on what issue is being debated.

Location

The cabinet room, where cabinet meets every week.

Since 1966, most cabinet meetings happen in the cabinet room of the Aranha Building, which is the seat of most cabinet offices and the workplace of the premier. Before that, the majority of cabinet reunions happened in the Bensafrim House, the premier's official residence, although some of the meetings still happens there. Besides, there have been cases of the cabinet meeting in the Mascarenhas Palace, the University of Castelonovo and, during the 1963 terrorist attacks and 1969 protests, at the National Defence Council.

Parliamentary accountability

The premier and his cabinet is heavily dependent on parliamentary accountability for the sake of government stability. The president can dissolve the cabinet after a motion of non-confidence is passed in the Chamber of Deputies, and congress can, at any time, call cabinet members to testify and held accountable in committees and hearings.

Cabinet

Current cabinet

Main articles: Graça Fonseca and Government of Belmonte

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office	Party
Prime Minister
Prime Minister		Rita Maurino	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Ministers
Deputy Prime Minister Secretary of Foreign Affairs		Graça Fonseca	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Socialist Bloc
Secretary of Finances and the Treasury		Patrício Buarque	23 July 2017	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Justice and Public Security		Sérgio Guerra	19 July 2017	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Defence		Henrique Menzi	08 August 2017	Incumbent	Independent
Secretary of Education		Catarina Barbalho	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Health		Ricardo Tavares	03 April 2016	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Science and Technology		Suzana Bittencourt	27 May 2017	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Sports		Lúcia Machado	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Socialist Bloc
Secretary of Culture		Bruno Costa	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Socialist Bloc
Secretary of Environmental Affairs and Agriculture		Amélia de Castro	23 May 2019	Incumbent	Socialist Bloc
Secretary of Citizenship, Women and Human Rights		Maria Santana	04 August 2018	Incumbent	Socialist Bloc
Secretary of Pensions and Social Care		Antônio Mendes	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Labour		Zacarias Cruz	23 March 2019	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Tourism		João Borges	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Infrastructure and Energy		Lourenço Pontes	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party
Secretary of Waters and Ports		Tasso Cardoso	15 April 2015	Incumbent	Independent

Shadow cabinet

Main article: Shadow Cabinet of Belmonte

Although it isn't an official institution, it's a political convention that the biggest opposition party establish a shadow cabinet formed by party spokespersons that cover certain government areas, with the first party to do so being the UCN during its wilderness years. Over time, third parties also started to form their cabinets, becoming a common practice.

See also

Government of Belmonte Premier of Belmonte

National Congress of Belmonte Politics of Belmonte