José Luís Carneiro

José Luís Carneiro
Carneiro in 2023
Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
Assumed office
28 June 2025
PresidentCarlos César
Preceded byPedro Nuno Santos
Minister of Internal Administration
In office
30 March 2022 – 2 April 2024
Prime MinisterAntónio Costa
Preceded byFrancisca Van Dunem
Succeeded byMargarida Blasco
Deputy Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
In office
17 October 2019 – 30 March 2022
Secretary-GeneralAntónio Costa
Preceded byAna Catarina Mendes
Succeeded byJoão Torres
Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities
In office
26 November 2015 – 26 October 2019
Prime MinisterAntónio Costa
Preceded byJosé Cesário
Succeeded byBerta Nunes
Mayor of Baião
In office
2 November 2005 – 25 August 2015
Preceded byEmília dos Anjos Pereira da Silva
Succeeded byPaulo Pereira
Member of the Assembly of the Republic
Assumed office
29 March 2022
ConstituencyBraga
In office
25 October 2019 – 28 March 2022
ConstituencyPorto
In office
23 October 2015 – 26 November 2015
ConstituencyPorto
In office
10 March 2005 – 2 November 2005
ConstituencyPorto
Personal details
BornJosé Luís Pereira Carneiro
(1971-10-04) 4 October 1971
PartySocialist Party
SpouseMaria Goreti Carneiro
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Lisbon

José Luís Pereira Carneiro (born 4 October 1971) is a Portuguese politician from the Socialist Party (PS) and has been the party's Secretary-General since 28 June 2025.

Political career

José Luís Carneiro was first elected as a councillor to the municipality of Baião in the 1997 Portuguese local elections. In the 2005 Portuguese legislative election he was elected for the Assembly of the Republic from Porto,[1] before resigning from that post in order to run for mayor of Baião in the 2005 Portuguese local elections, which he won with 51% of the votes,[2] being re-elected with landslide margins in the 2009 and 2013 local elections.[3][4]

After 10 years in office as mayor, Carneiro resigned from the post to become Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities during António Costa's first government (2015–2019). After that, Costa choose him as deputy secretary-general of the Socialist Party. Carneiro served as Minister of Internal Administration in the XXIII Constitutional Government of Portugal from 2022 to 2024.[5]

Polling in 2023 found him to be the most popular minister in the government of Costa. Following Costa's resignation as the prime minister of Portugal, Carneiro was a candidate for the leadership of the PS.[6] On 16 December 2023, he lost against Pedro Nuno Santos in an internal vote.[7] He was the lead candidate in Braga for the 2025 Portuguese legislative election.[8]

Carneiro was reportedly a possible contender for the 2026 Portuguese presidential election but declined to be a candidate.[9] After the Socialists' weak results in the 2025 Portuguese legislative election, where the party fell to third place in terms of seats, behind the far-right party Chega, a leadership ballot was called for 27 and 28 June 2025.[10] Carneiro announced his candidacy and was the only candidate on the ballot, resulting in him becoming the next PS Secretary-General.[11] On 28 June 2025, the PS announced that Carneiro had been elected Secretary-General.[12]

Personal life

José Luís Carneiro is married with Maria Goreti Carneiro and has two children.[13]

Electoral history

Baião City Council election, 2001

Ballot: 16 December 2001
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
PSD Maria Emília Silva 7,087 48.9 4 ±0
PS José Luís Carneiro 6,754 46.6 3 ±0
CDU 202 1.4 0 ±0
CDS–PP 121 0.8 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 344 2.4
Turnout 14,508 77.17 7 ±0
Source: Autárquicas 2001[14]

Baião City Council election, 2005

Ballot: 9 October 2005
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
PS José Luís Carneiro 7,483 50.9 4 +1
PSD Maria Emília Silva 6,660 45.3 3 –1
CDS–PP Mário Guedes Negrão 138 0.9 0 ±0
CDU António Gomes 128 0.9 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 297 2.0
Turnout 14,706 78.12 7 ±0
Source: Autárquicas 2005[2][15]

Baião City Council election, 2009

Ballot: 11 October 2009
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
PS José Luís Carneiro 9,375 66.8 5 +1
PSD José Carlos Póvoas 4,102 29.3 2 –1
CDU José Luis Pereira 197 1.4 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 352 2.5
Turnout 14,026 72.36 7 ±0
Source: Autárquicas 2009[3]

Baião City Council election, 2013

Ballot: 29 September 2013
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
PS José Luís Carneiro 8,573 71.4 6 +1
PSD Luís Miguel Sousa 2,211 18.4 1 –1
CDS–PP José Carlos Póvoas 498 4.2 0 ±0
CDU Adérito Manuel Vieira 191 1.6 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 532 4.4
Turnout 12,005 65.40 7 ±0
Source: Autárquicas 2013[4]

PS leadership election, 2023

Ballot: 15 and 16 December 2023
Candidate Votes %
Pedro Nuno Santos 24,219 60.8
José Luís Carneiro 14,891 37.4
Daniel Adrião 382 1.0
Blank/Invalid ballots 322 0.8
Turnout 39,814 68.65
Source: Diretas 2023[16]

PS leadership election, 2025

Ballot: 27 and 28 June 2025
Candidate Votes %
José Luís Carneiro 17,434 95.5
Blank/Invalid ballots 829 4.5
Turnout 18,263 48.9
Source: Results

PS leadership election, 2026

Ballot: 13 and 14 March 2026
Candidate Votes %
José Luís Carneiro 21,219 97.1
Blank/Invalid ballots 628 2.9
Turnout 21,848 55.3
Source: Results

References

  1. ^ "José Luís Carneiro". www.ps.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Eleições Autárquicas 2005". STAPE Justice Ministry (in Portuguese). 9 October 2005. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Autárquicas 2009". SGMAI. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Autárquicas 2013". SGMAI. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Biografia". www.parlamento.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  6. ^ Donn, Natasha (9 November 2023). "Government's most popular minister 'ponders' standing for leadership". Portugal Resident. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. ^ Tommaso Lecca (17 December 2023), Portugal’s Socialists elect new leader after Costa’s resignation Politico Europe.
  8. ^ "José Luís Carneiro é cabeça de lista do PS por Braga nas legislativas". Jornal SOL (in European Portuguese). 2 April 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  9. ^ ""Ainda sou muito jovem para presidenciais", diz José Luís Carneiro". www.msn.com. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Carlos César propõe eleições internas do PS a 27 e 28 de junho". RTP (in Portuguese). 24 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  11. ^ "José Luís Carneiro é candidato único à sucessão de Pedro Nuno Santos". Sapo (in Portuguese). 13 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  12. ^ ""Somos um partido de oposição a este Governo". José Luís Carneiro é o novo secretário-geral do PS". RTP (in Portuguese). 28 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Registo de interesses dos membros do governo" (PDF). Assembleia da República (in Portuguese). 20 June 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Eleições Autárquicas 2001" (PDF). STAPE Justice Ministry. 27 March 2001. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Auto de Sorteio das Listas Eleições AL 2005" (PDF). Comissão Nacional de Eleições. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Resultados Provisórios Federações" (PDF). PS. December 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2024.