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 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 liberals, 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 as well, 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 amid the country's worsening state.
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 downfall of the Soverosa government, Pacheco was a former moderate liberal who sought for a technocratic government to end the looming political, economic and social crisis which has become worse since then, forming a coalition with centrist and centre-right parties. Initially successful, the coalition would soon suffer from constant attacks by the leftist and far-right opposition effectively making his premiership a lame-duck one, leading to Dumont resign 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 relationship with the more centrist parties in the Chamber of Deputies, Quércia remained in the rump Liberal Party reformed into the Liberal Democratic Party, also being a moderate liberal. He found difficulty in convincing centre-left parties to join his technocratic coalition due to feuds with Soverosa and, after a deadly protest in Castelonovo, he decided to call a snap election to expand his seats and gain an outright majority but lost to the leftist coalition 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 tried to resume the policies of wide-scale reforms that he planned to put in practise during his first government, but faced difficulties in doing so in the months afterwards after massive resistance from centrist and right-wing parties resulting in another successful motion of no-confidence against him, also losing by another narrow margin the following snap election 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)	PC
			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 more radical rightists in the National Congress, his premiership was marked by the failure of reviving the Belmontese economy at the time, leading to another motion of non-confidence and another election in the 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 strong 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 months after beginning his term in 1913.
21		Joaquim Quércia (1862–1938)	8th January 1913	12nd May 1913	4 months and 4 days	–	PLD
			Assuming the premiership in an emergency way after the assassination of Soverosa, Quércia was responsible for quelling the several riots, rebellions and ill-fated coup attempts made by both the SBIO and the PRN after his death, being capable to calm most of the situation during its first days. He would declare a new snap 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 a lead member of the country's labour and communist movements ever since the turn of the century, being elected in a highly polemical election. Immediately after assuming the premiership, he would launch a wide array of socialist reforms, many of them aiming at the establishment of a council republic, inciting the fury of several right-wing 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.
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 served as an important 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, easily becoming premier afterwards. His premiership would be marked by the return of democracy to Belmonte and the beginning of its reconstruction after the war under the developmental policies of the ITSP Plan, being considered to be one of the greatest premiers of Belmontese history. He would step down in 1940 to run for the presidency.
24		Sílvio Behringer (1889–1947)	5th April 1940	5th April 1945	5 years	1940	URN
			A close friend of Lobato who served in various cabinet positions, Behringer was chosen to suceeded him as a compromise candidate between more conservative and reformist factions within the party. During his premiership the economy would continue recovering as major Belmontese cities would undergo massive reconstruction efforts, also being a main promoter of modernist arts. Although very popular, he refused to run for a second term due to health problems.
25		Cédrico Alvim (1880–1964)	5th April 1945	5th April 1950	5 years	1945	URN
			A member of the party's left-wing, Alvim would win the URN leadership election by a narrow margin in a tense transition of power which included a failed military coup. Once assuming power, he would abandon the ITSP Plan in favour of the National Development Plan (PND), which included more socialist-oriented policies and the creation of a welfare state. It was during his premiership that several core state-owned companies were created and although he was highly popular tensions with conservatives, hardliners and the Armed Forces led to his defeat as party leader in 1950, forming the PSD afterwards.
26		Patrício Gama (1885–1951)	5th April 1950	23rd May 1951	1 year, 1 month and 18 days	1950	URN
			Assuming the premiership after successfully winning the URN leadership election, Gama would maintain most of the welfare apparatus of his predecessor but would reverse most of his radical policies by instituting the National Advancement and Acceleration Program (PNAA), seen by many as the continuation of the ITSP Plan although more liberal in nature. He would die in a plane crash a year after taking office in 1951.
27		Vincente Cunha (1901–1996)	23rd May 1951	10th June 1951	18 days	–	URN
			The first premier to be born in the 20th century, Cunha was an important minister during both Alvim and Gama governments, being a rising star within the URN due to his acceptable positions for the several wings and faction of his party as well as his high popularity, assuming provisorily after the later's death though he refused to run for party leader at that moment.
28		Sebastião Nunes (1893–1977)	10th June 1951	8th March 1954	2 years, 8 months and 26 days	–	URN
			Elected shortly after Gama's death, the Nunes premiership marked the continuation of the PNAA policies and the end of most reconstruction efforts from the Great War in the majority of Belmontese cities. However, a recession that took place in the last months of his government, combined with a reformist rhetoric against the massive amounts of power the Armed Forces held during the time led to tension with hardliners and, after he proposed to introduce legislation aimed to curb the excesses of the Army, he would find himself ousted as party leader in 1954.
29		João Filgueiras (1912–1981)	8th March 1954	5th April 1955	1 year, 1 month and 26 days	–	URN
			The main ideological mentor of the URN's conservative and hardline wings, Filgueiras assumed the premiership with the broad support of the Armed Forces, being known for its anti-socialist agenda which included the closing and outlawing of several leftist parties and organizations. His failure to end the increasing recession and a bad relationship with Congress, however, made him decide to run to the presidency in 1955 rather than remaining in the premiership.
30		General Jorge Proença (1896–1986)	5th April 1955	5th April 1960	5 years	1955	URN
			Heavily popular due to his active service as a leading resistance member during the Great War, Proença was the grandson of former general and conservative premier Severino Proença, earning him credentials inside the party. Unlike his grandfather, he proved to be extremely pragmatic, with his premiership being marked by fast economic recovery and major advancements in social, technologic and artistic fields, with his tenure being known as the "golden years." Surprisingly, he refused to run for a 2nd term, running for the presidency instead.
31		Vincente Cunha (1901–1996)	5th April 1960	28th March 1963	2 years, 10 months and 24 days	1960	URN
			Returning to the Bensafrim House as Proença's hand-picked successor, Cunha continued the policies of his predecessor and also oversaw the continuing of Belmonte's good economic, political and social situation, starting to reverse most of Filgueiras' radical anti-communist policies. He resigned after the 1963 Belmontese terrorist attacks, leading the spot open for the hardliners once again.
32		General Lourenço Bittencourt (1899–1991)	28th March 1963	7th September 1969	6 years, 3 months and 5 days	1964	URN
			Rising into power after the 1963 attacks, Bittencourt was a member of the party's hardliner wing, although more pragmatic than Filgueiras. His premiership was marked by his authoritarianism against the democratic opposition and leftist groups which led to the Mauá's War, becoming one of Belmonte's most controversial premiers. Winning a massive majority in the 1964 snap elections, his premiership still oversaw a prosperous economy but combined with nationalist rhetoric and large participation of the Armed Forces in government affairs. He resigned after the death of journalist Anderson Figlioli, which prompted the 1969 protests.
33		Henrique Cotrim (1919–2003)	7th September 1969	25th October 1969	3 months and 22 days	–	URN
			One of the few moderates present in the previous Bittencourt government, Cotrim assumed the premiership with large party support and spent most of his first tenure talking with the opposition to end the 1969 protests, which spread to the entire country. He agreed to reverse most of Bittecourt's radical policies and call a snap election, with the URN suffering massive losses against the Democratic Front and losing an election for the first time since its creation.
34		Aldo Silveira (1917–1999)	25th October 1969	25th October 1974	5 years	1969	UPC
			The leader of the Democratic Front, Silveira was the biggest opponent of the Bittencourt government, being able to avoid persecution and elected as a compromise candidate between the front's several parties, with his premiership being marked by investigations against the Armed Forces and excesses of the previous administration. Although highly praised for his defence of Belmontese democracy he wasn't able to end the looming economic crisis, being unable to be re-elected.
35		Henrique Cotrim (1919–2003)	25th October 1974	25th October 1979	5 years	1974	URN
			Returning to the premiership, Cotrim was able to end most of Silveira's legacy and instituted a series of highly unpopular austerity measures, being able to maintain himself in power thanks to a narrow parliamentary majority. While the country was in the middle of a massive recession the Federal Police would start Operation Catrina, the biggest anti-corruption operation in Belmontese history, further damaging his image and causing the 1979 protests, prompting leading to his defeat.
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, Bragança was a leading socialist member who returned to Belmonte after 1969, becoming an important member of the Silveira government and leader of the opposition during the second Cotrim premiership. A leading organizer of the 1979 protests, he would ascend to the premiership shortly afterwards under a heavy left-wing nationalist agenda combined with various social reforms and diplomatic independence which sought more friendly relations with Maracao and Chistovodia. Highly popular, he was the first premier of the New Republic to be re-elected but resigned in 1990 to run for the presidency.
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 slowly started to adopt a more neoliberal agenda which caused him the loss of support from far-left parties and, combined with a minor recession through 1992, led to a successful motion of no-confidence against him, also losing that year's snap election against a now-reformed URN and its centre-right coalition.
38		Jorge Castelo (1931–2011)	18th March 1993	18th March 1998	5 years	1993	URN
			A moderate and pragmatic politician, Castelo was responsible for purging remaining hardliner members and ideologies within the URN, fully ending the decade-long process and transforming the party into a liberal and reformist one. His government is known for the full implementation of neoliberal policies in Belmonte marked by numerous privatizations and financial deregulations as part of the Kesselbourg consensus together with the continuation of social reforms and the beginning of formal relations with some socialist countries. He stepped down in 1998 after that year's election led to 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 both 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
			Also a moderate, 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, causing his resignation.
41		Oswaldo Borges (1934–2011)	7th October 2003	5th May 2005	1 year, 6 months and 28 days	–	URN
			A party elder with a long public career, Borges was chosen to assume Gaertner with almost unanimous support, spending most of his early days in the premiership managing to curb the violence outbreak in Castelonovo and other major cities with success. After the crisis he served for the remaining of Gaertner's term and, although he had considerable support within the URN, he refused to run for party leadership once again, retiring from politics.
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.
44		Graça Fonseca (1973)	5th May 2020	incumbent	4 years, 7 months and 20 days	2020	BS
			The second female premier of Belmonte, Fonseca was elected as a progressive reaction against Maurino's neoliberal policies.

See also

• Premier of Belmonte