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 | Leonardo Rebouças |
| 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
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 senator is prevented from being appointed, political conventions have preferred members from the Chamber of Deputies rather than the Senate.
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
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
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier | |||||||||
| Premier | Graça Fonseca | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Ministers | |||||||||
| Deputy Premier Secretary of Finances and the Treasury | Leonardo Rebouças | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | SBIO | |||||
| Secretary of Foreign Affairs | Aldo Conti | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Justice and Public Security | Caruso Borges | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Defence | César Weber | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Education | Maurício Braga | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | SBIO | |||||
| Secretary of Health | Adriana Coppola | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | SBIO | |||||
| Secretary of Science | Marília Lemos | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | SBIO | |||||
| Secretary of Technology | Ana Pádua-Lima | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | SBIO | |||||
| Secretary of Sports | Lúcia Machado | 05 May 2015 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Culture | Bruno Costa | 05 May 2015 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Environmental Affairs | Amélia Bastos | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Green Party | |||||
| Secretary of Agriculture | Amélia de Castro | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Citizenship, Women and Human Rights | Maria Santana | 04 August 2018 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Pensions and Social Care | Marcos Pontes | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | SBIO | |||||
| Secretary of Labour | Gomes Rodrigues | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | SBIO | |||||
| Secretary of Tourism | Juliana Abreu | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Infrastructure and Energy | Carla Sampaio | 05 May 2020 | Incumbent | Socialist Bloc | |||||
| Secretary of Waters and Ports | Tasso Cardoso | 05 May 2015 | Incumbent | Independent | |||||
Shadow cabinet
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.