Eduardo Cabrita is the new minister for the Interior

The Government has chosen Eduardo Cabrita to take Constança Urbano de Sousa’s place as minister for the Interior. The news were disclosed first hand by TVI, less than 12 hours after the minister announced her resignation. Eduardo Cabrita will, therefore, leave his position as the minister assistant to replace the resigned minister. According to the same source, Pedro Siza Vieira will take on Cabrita’s place.

Eduardo Cabrita and Pedro Siza Vieira will officially take office this Saturday, immediately after the extraordinary Council of Ministers to discuss a reform in the civil protection system.

On Constança Urbano de Sousa’s resignation, Eduardo Cabrita stated he understood why and also commended the work she developed in light of the fire tragedies this Summer, which victimized more than 100 people. When asked if this was the largest crisis faced by this Government so far, Cabrita answered: “This is a moment in which institutions are faced with the need to answer people’s need for security”.

Eduardo Cabrita has a degree in Law and took part in a government for the first time in 1984/85, when he was the deputy to the Office of the secretary of State of the Municipal Administration. In 1985, he was also the Finance inspector and assistant secretary for Macau Government’s Justice department in 1988/89. Eight years later he returned from Macau as assistant secretary for the Justice minister, which was António Costa, between 1999 and 2002, in the second mandate of PM António Guterres.

Pedro Siza Vieira will, then, replace Cabrita as PM’s right arm. The new minister Assistant is, currently, a lawyer for Linklaters and was, in the past, the Municipality of Lisbon’s legal adviser, as well as the adviser for Macau’s governor.