Prime Ministers of Portugal Since the Carnation Revolution

“Prime Ministers of Portugal Since the Carnation Revolution” is a political-history recipe: a compact, chronological guide assembled from the key ingredients of dates, names, and changes of government. It works best served as a quick reference, with care taken to distinguish prime ministers from presidents and to note when a leader served more than once.

Ingredients

1 timeline, beginning with the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974
1 list of prime ministers, with names and terms checked against a reliable historical reference
1 distinction between prime minister and president
1 note for each return to office, coalition change, or caretaker period that affects the sequence
4 servings of context: revolution, democratic transition, constitutional government, and elections

Instructions

Set the starting point. The Carnation Revolution was the largely peaceful military coup of April 25, 1974, that ended Portugal’s Estado Novo dictatorship. The first head of government after the revolution was Adelino da Palma Carlos, who served from May 16 to July 18, 1974. For a list titled “since the revolution,” include him rather than beginning with the first elected prime minister.
Add the post-revolutionary governments in order. Vasco Gonçalves served from July 18, 1974, to September 19, 1975, across four successive governments. José Pinheiro de Azevedo followed, serving from September 19, 1975, to July 23, 1976. These administrations belonged to the turbulent revolutionary period, before the constitutional order was fully established.
Mark the start of constitutional government. Mário Soares became prime minister on July 23, 1976, after the first democratic parliamentary elections under the new constitution. He served until January 28, 1978, and returned from August 1, 1983, to November 6, 1985. Record both terms; counting a person only once would hide an important part of the chronology.
Continue through the late 1970s and early 1980s. Alfredo Nobre da Costa served from August 28 to November 22, 1978; Carlos Mota Pinto from November 22, 1978, to July 1, 1979; and Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo from August 1, 1979, to January 3, 1980. Francisco Sá Carneiro served from January 3 to December 4, 1980, followed by Diogo Freitas do Amaral as caretaker until January 9, 1981. Francisco Pinto Balsemão then served from January 9, 1981, to June 23, 1983.
Include the later leaders and repeat terms. Aníbal Cavaco Silva served from November 6, 1985, to October 28, 1995. António Guterres served from October 28, 1995, to April 6, 2002. José Manuel Durão Barroso served from April 6, 2002, to July 17, 2004, and Pedro Santana Lopes from July 17, 2004, to March 12, 2005. José Sócrates served from March 12, 2005, to June 21, 2011. Pedro Passos Coelho served from June 21, 2011, to November 26, 2015.
Finish with the most recent governments and date the page. António Costa served from November 26, 2015, to April 2, 2024. Luís Montenegro took office on April 2, 2024, and is prime minister as of November 6, 2026. Add the date checked to any printed or shared version because the current officeholder and term end dates can change.
Check the sequence before serving. There have been 20 different prime ministers since the revolution, counting Montenegro as the twentieth; several people held office more than once, and caretaker administrations can make date lists look uneven. Use one consistent source for day-level dates, and present the names in chronological order by start of service.

Tips

Do not confuse offices. Portugal’s president is head of state; the prime minister leads the government. A president who appoints a prime minister does not belong in this list.
Keep the scope clear. The sequence begins with Palma Carlos, the first prime minister after the revolution, rather than with the first prime minister elected under the 1976 constitution.
Show repeated terms separately. Soares, Gonçalves, and other leaders may appear in more than one government or term; explain the convention you use for counting individuals.
Use exact dates with context. Month-and-year summaries are easier to scan, but day-level dates help clarify short governments and caretaker transitions. Verify updates before publication.

Serving Suggestions

For a fast overview, serve the list as a single-column timeline of names and dates. Readers looking for context can pair each period with a short note: the revolutionary governments of 1974–76, the constitutional era beginning in 1976, and later governments formed after parliamentary elections. A separate column for party or coalition can be useful, but only if each entry is verified and the distinction between a party and a governing coalition is maintained.

For classroom use, ask readers to identify the transition from the revolutionary period to constitutional government, then compare the lengths of successive terms. For a reference page, add links to official biographies or election records rather than adding unsourced descriptions of each leader’s legacy.

Variations

Individual leaders only: List each of the 20 people once, with all periods in office beside the name. This is compact but less useful for tracking changes in government.

Every cabinet: Break out successive governments under the same prime minister as separate entries. Portugal had multiple cabinets under some leaders, so this version needs a reliable cabinet-by-cabinet source and can contain more entries than the count of prime ministers.

Election-focused timeline: Add the parliamentary election associated with each change of government. Be precise: a prime minister can take office between elections, and an election date is not the same as a government’s start date.

Storage and Reheating

This reference does not need refrigeration or reheating. For a saved digital copy, include a “last updated” date and revisit it after a change of government or when checking newly published official records. If printing a classroom handout, add the same date so readers can tell whether the final entry is current.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Portugal’s first prime minister after the Carnation Revolution?
Adelino da Palma Carlos was appointed prime minister on May 16, 1974, three weeks after the revolution. His government lasted until July 18, 1974.

Who was Portugal’s first prime minister under the 1976 constitution?
Mário Soares became prime minister on July 23, 1976, after the first parliamentary elections held under the new constitutional system. He is therefore the first constitutional-era prime minister, not the first post-revolutionary one.

How many prime ministers has Portugal had since the revolution?
There have been 20 different people in the office since April 1974, counting Luís Montenegro, who took office in 2024. The number of governments or cabinets is higher because some prime ministers led multiple administrations.

Was Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo a prime minister?
Yes. She served from August 1, 1979, to January 3, 1980, and was the first woman to hold Portugal’s premiership.

Is the prime minister Portugal’s head of state?
No. Portugal’s president is head of state, while the prime minister heads the government. They are separate constitutional offices with different responsibilities.

Why do sources sometimes give different dates?
Some sources report only the years or months, while others use appointment, swearing-in, or departure dates. Short caretaker periods and changes between cabinets can also affect how a timeline is organized. State your date convention and consult an official Portuguese government or parliamentary source for day-level verification.

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