PORTUGUESE PM SOCRATES REPLACES TWO MINISTERS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 000273

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE PM SOCRATES REPLACES TWO MINISTERS IN
MINI RESHUFFLE


Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol-Econ Officer, Embassy Lisbon
Reason 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (SBU) Summary: Amid growing criticism by the public over
service cutbacks and other austerity measures, Prime Minister
Socrates accepted the resignations of the Ministers of Health
and Culture on January 29. Both outgoing ministers were
publicly criticized for mishandling aspects of their
portfolios, but the reshuffle left other controversial
ministers untouched. Socrates's moves were both a response
to public criticism and an attempt to assuage growing
unhappiness among leftist elements of his own party with what
they view as many of his right-of-center policies. The Prime
Minister's decision to stand behind several other
controversial ministers was a demonstration both of his
strong loyalty to those on his team and a desire to avoid
sending any signal that his government is engaged in anything
other than business as usual. End summary.

Hit the Road, Jack
--------------


2. (U) On January 29, Prime Minister Socrates ended weeks of
speculation about a likely Cabinet reshuffle when he
announced the resignations of Minister of Health Antonio
Correia de Campos and Minister of Culture Isabel Pires de
Lima. Correia de Campos had been under public fire for some
time, but the criticism had escalated in recent weeks because
of outrage surrounding the closure of a number of emergency
rooms and the impact on delivery of critical health services.
Correia de Campos had essentially been a dead man walking
since President Cavaco Silva's New Year's address, in which
he criticized the minister for failing to communicate to
Portuguese why and how he was implementing a number of major
health reforms, and failing to reassure poor citizens that
they would continue to have access to medical services.


3. (U) Minister of Culture Isabel Pires de Lima stepped down
after several public tiffs during the past year, including a
dispute with the mayor of Portugal's second largest city
which ultimately required the Prime Minister's intervention,
and two months after circulation of a petition calling for
her resignation which attracted 2800 signatures. Pires de
Lima had earlier earned Cavaco Silva's ire when she dismissed
a friend of his, the director of one of Portugal's most
prominent museums, after the latter criticized the minister's
policies in August 2007. The Portuguese president was on
vacation but publicly decried the dismissal, describing the
museum director as a civil servant who personified the
highest ideals of professionalism and public service.

Smelling blood
--------------


4. (U) Sensing an opportunity, Luis Menezes, leader of the
principal opposition party (the PSD),said the departure of
Correia de Campos was evidence of the government's
recognition that its health policies had failed and had
fallen into a "directionless mire." He then challenged
Socrates to a debate about the Prime Minister's three-year
record in office. Popular Party (CDS-PP) leader Paulo
Portas, whose charisma and visibility give his words more
resonance than his party's meager representation in
parliament (12 seats) would suggest, called for more heads to
roll: "The change shows weakness in the government and isn't
enough. Why let the Ministers of Public Works, Education,
Economy, and Agriculture remain?" he asked. The leaders of
the Communist Party and of the Left Bloc, unsurprisingly,
called for a change in the government's policies,
underscoring the "fundamental right of citizens to health
care."

Comment
--------------


5. (C) Socrates remains Portugal's most popular political
party leader, according to public opinion polls, and he would
almost certainly win re-election if a vote were held today.
He is also a stubborn politician who strongly resists doing
anything that can be perceived as succumbing to public
pressure. In this case, however, he felt obligated to act,
both because of public concern about the performance of a
number of his ministers and growing restlessness among the PS
leftist wing about what they see as the rightward tilt of
many of the Prime Minister's policies. Correia de Campos and
Pires de Lima were fairly obvious sacrificial lambs, given
widespread media coverage of Portuguese negatively affected
by the closure of certain emergency rooms as well their
having been singled out by President Cavaco Silva. Socrates
is clearly hoping that the reshuffling of only two ministers
E

will address the desire of many Portuguese for some change
while conveying the image of a government that remains very
much in control. One PS insider told us that Socrates had
acted primarily to address the concerns of Manuel Alegre, a
party elder statesman who has threatened to form his own
party unless Socrates started acting more like a Socialist.
It will be interesting to see whether the appointment of Ana
Jorge as minister of health will do the trick -- she is very
close to Alegre but has vowed to continue her predecessor's
policies.


6. (U) The new ministers -- Ana Maria Teodoro Jorge for the
health portfolio and Jose Antonio Pinto Ribeiro for the
culture portfolio -- were sworn in on January 30. Some
biographic details follow below.

Ana Jorge
--------------


7. (U) Ana Jorge has been a practicing pediatrician for more
than twenty years and had been Director of Pediatric
Services at the Garcia de Orta Hospital since 2001. Under
the Guterres Administration (1995-2002),Jorge served as the
President of the Regional Health Administration for Lisbon.
During her tenure as President, Jorge was charged, along with
25 other public officials, with misappropriation of public
funds to Amadora-Sintra Hospital and fined over 3.5 million
euros. Jorge was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing during
arbitration. Jorge does not belong to a political party but
is very close to PS member of the National Assembly -- and
party elder statesman -- Manuel Alegre. She is 58 years old
and was born in Lourinha, Portugal.

Jose Antonio Pinto Ribeiro
--------------


8. (U) Pinto Ribeiro is a well-established lawyer and human
rights activist, especially on anti-trafficking issues. He
studied law at the Classic University of Lisbon from
1964-1969 and went on to teach law at the Superior Institute
of Economics, the Autonomous University Law School, the
Superior Institute of Business and Work Sciences, and the New
Lisbon University Law School. He participated in an
individual International Visitors Program (IVP) in 1994 and
has a close relationship with the Embassy's Public Affairs
Section. In 2006, Pinto Ribeiro was named Administrator of
the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection by Portuguese art
collector and entrepreneur Joe Bernardo. Pinto Ribeiro is
married to TV presenter Anabela Mota Ribeiro and is 61 years
old.

Stephenson