Reactions to the appointment of Luís Neves as Minister of Internal Administration

The appointment of Luís Neves to the position of Minister of Internal Administration is the topic of this Saturday, February 21st. Reactions are already emerging to Luís Montenegro’s choice to choose the then director of the Judiciary Police (PJ).

The unions linked to the PJ praised the appointment.

Rita Matias, Chega’s deputy, used X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the choice, particularly for Neves’ statements about immigration. “The new Minister of Internal Affairs is the man of “sensations”? Every shot, every blackbird,” he wrote.

As DN showed in Neves’ profile, the former director of the PJ did not hesitate to counter the escalation of speech against immigration that was fueling hatred. Attributed to “misinformation” the perception of insecurity complained by some political leaders and explained that it was necessary to “make a distinction between foreign criminals who use Portugal for their activities” and immigrants.

Mariana Leitão, leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL), also used social media to react to the nomination. He wrote that the party “will closely monitor” the new minister’s performance. “The appointment of Luís Neves as Minister of Internal Administration comes at a demanding time for Portugal. The country needs concrete reforms, better cooperatives, effective planning and real capacity to respond. It is time to execute what has remained to be done, the country cannot bear to continue living on announcements without consequences. The Liberal Initiative will closely monitor its actions. We hope that we are up to the responsibility and that we are able to deliver the results that the country demands”.