As the fallout from Sunday’s elections begins to settle – and President Cavaco Silva is due to talk tonight with Passos Coelho on how best to move forwards – seven ministers are packing their bags, at least two of which will see sighs of relief.
Anabela Rodrigues, famous for the extraordinary TV clip almost entirely consisting of “ummms and errrrs….” was considered “a casting error”, says Correio da Manhã, and thus will retire from her uneventful spell at the ministry of internal administration, possibly only too delighted that she is not sharing her predecessor’s situation of official defendant in a case of fraud and corruption.
Also unlikely to leave anyone sobbing with regret is the departure of Nuno Crato from the education ministry. Crato has overseen the largest cull of teaching staff in Portuguese history, and is lucky to find his former teaching job at Lisbon’s ISEG (superior institute of economy and management) still available.
Also returning to academic life is Poiares Maduro – giving up the trials of regional development in Portugal to teach in Florence, while Minister for Foreign Affairs Rui Machete – the man who not long ago encouraged all Portuguese to visit Iran for their holidays – is returning to his old job as a legal consultant.
Health minister Paulo Macedo was given the kind of job no-one could relish in 2011 and he is now seeking a banking position at BCP, writes CM.
Paula Teixeira da Cruz has also had a difficult four years, overseeing the redrawing of a judicial map that saw 3.5 million legal cases jettisoned into virtual oblivion for weeks as courthouses closed, and others were infested with mice. CM says she “no longer wishes to exert government functions” and will go back to practising law.
Last but very possibly not least is outspoken economy minister Pires de Lima. For the time being, he seems content to do nothing at all – certainly for the next three months when he aims to take a three-month sabbatical while travelling with his wife.
Meantime, those left behind struggle with the difficult task of trying to run a country that for the most part did not vote for them.
