Manuel da Silva Passos

A lawyer and politician from Porto, Passos Manuel was born to relatively humble farmers before rising through the ranks of liberal society and regard, first at the University of Coimbra and then in the capital of Lisbon before being exiled by reactionaries during the Liberal Wars. He was elected to represent his home region after returning following Maria II's restoration, and has since become de facto leader of the Vintismo faction in Portugal's parliament, advocating for economic and constitutional reforms. In late 1835, he was tapped as head of government, and began assembling a Cartist-Vintist cabinet with the intent of curbing the corruption and excesses of liberal Portugal's tumultuous first two years.