Luís Neves, until now national director of the Judiciary Police, is sworn in this Monday as Minister of Internal Administration by the President of the Republic, replacing Maria Lúcia Amaral, in what is the first change in the second Government of Luís Montenegro.
on Saturday and the inauguration ceremony is scheduled for 10am today at Palácio de Belém, in Lisbon.
At the same time, they will also take possession the three secretaries of state of the ministry.
Paulo Simões Ribeiro, Telmo Correia and Rui Rocha will be reappointed as Deputy Secretary of State and Internal Administration, Secretary of State for Internal Administration and Secretary of State for Civil Protection respectively, moving from Maria Lúcia Amaral’s team.
Minister could not resist the wave of criticism
Luís Neves was chosen by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, to replace Maria Lúcia Amaral, who resigned as Minister of Internal Administration after the wave of criticism of the way she acted and managed the response to the Kristin depression, which devastated the country at the end of January.
On Thursday, in the Assembly of the Republic, during the fortnightly debate, the prime minister assured that Maria Lúcia Amaral’s successor would take office this week, but the speed of the process caused some surprise.
He then declared in parliament, in response to questions from Chega’s leader, André Ventura: “Next week, the Government will have its recomposition completely established with a proposal that I will make to the President of the Republic”.
On that occasion, on the other hand, the prime minister signaled that this would be the only change he would make to his government team, which took office on June 5th of last year.
Maria Lúcia Amaral resigned on the 10th, following the passage of the Kristin depression across the mainland, which caused fatalities and great devastation, especially in the Central region..
From a political point of view, its actions were being challenged by police unions, firefighters and, after the storms, by mayors and, mainly, by opposition parties.
The official note about her resignation stated that Maria Lúcia Amaral understood that she “no longer had the personal and political conditions indispensable for holding the position”. The Prime Minister temporarily assumed the Internal Administration portfolio.
Constitutionalist Maria Lúcia Amaral assumed the role of Minister of Internal Administration on June 5, 2025, with the inauguration of the XXV Government, after having been head of the Ombudsman’s Office for eight years, the institution responsible for receiving complaints from citizens who see their fundamental rights violated.
The path of the new minister
Luís Neves has served as national director of the Judiciary Police (PJ) since 2018. He has a degree in Law and joined the PJ in 1995, after a brief stint as a lawyer.
Throughout his professional career at the PJ, he has always been linked to criminal investigation, particularly in the sphere of violent and organized crime, terrorism and all forms of violent extremism, kidnapping, kidnapping, hostage taking, armed robbery, arms trafficking, trafficking in human beings, crimes committed using explosive devices and crimes against sovereign bodies.
Previously, he was director of the National Counter-Terrorism Unit (UNCT) and the extinct Central Directorate for Combating Banditry (DCCB).
