Mariana Leitão, leader of the Liberal Initiative (Iniciativa Liberal or IL), called on Saturday for open public tenders (concursos públicos) based strictly on merit to select administration boards across Local Health Units (Unidades Locais de Saúde or ULS). Leitão criticized both the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) for appointing political party loyalists to manage hospitals. The proposal follows leadership turmoil and emergency service disruptions at Portimão hospital.
Liberal Initiative Demands Merit-Based Contests for Hospital Leadership
Saturday, 14 November 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
Mariana Leitão is a Portuguese politician and the parliamentary leader of the Liberal Initiative (Iniciativa Liberal). Elected to the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República) in 2022, she leads her party's legislative group and advocates for free-market economic policies, tax reductions, and public-sector reform. She serves as one of the party's primary spokespersons on national housing, fiscal, and regulatory issues.
- Leader: Mariana Leitão (since July 2025)
- Ideology: Classical liberalism, economic libertarianism
Founded in 2017, the Liberal Initiative advocates for reduced state intervention, tax simplification, labor market liberalization, and secular liberalism under the motto "Less State, More Freedom". The party gained its first parliamentary seat in 2019 and now holds 9 seats. Mariana Leitão, 42, became the party's first female leader in July 2025 after Rui Rocha resigned following disappointing 2025 election results. Leitão previously served as parliamentary leader and has been announced as the party's candidate for the 2026 presidential election. The party explicitly rejects alliances with both far-left and far-right parties, positioning itself as the "only alternative" that won't negotiate with extremes.
