The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, lamented this Tuesday, October 21st, the death of Francisco Pinto Balsemão, former prime minister and one of the founders of the PSD, saying that “Portugal lost one of the most remarkable personalities of the last sixty years” in several areas: “In politics, in society, in the affirmation of freedom of expression and the press.”
In turn, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro expressed his regret over the disappearance of the PSD’s number 1 militant, announcing that the Government intends to declare a day of national mourning for the date of Francisco Pinto Balsemão’s funeral.
In a note published on the Presidency of the Republic website, Marcelo highlights I paint Balsemão as a “visionary, pioneer, creative, determined, hard-working, democrat, social democrat, Europeanist and Atlanticist”, who “has been in almost all the battles from the mid-sixties to today”.
In a note published on the website of the Presidency of the Republic, Marcelo highlighted that in politics, he was “Deputy of the Liberal Wing, and, in it, co-author of the constitutional revision projects, press law, meeting and association law and religious freedom law, to change Portugal at the end of the sixties and beginning of the seventies”.
The President of the Republic also recalled that after the 25th of April he was “founder of the PPD, today PSD, Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly, Parliamentary, Governor, President of the Party and Prime Minister, during the constitutional review that put an end to the Council of the Revolution, with the transition to full Democracy, longevity, State Councillor”.
“From the 70s of the last century until the new century, Portuguese politicians with effective external projection, particularly in Europe and the USA”, added the President, highlighting that in society he integrated and led “European, Euro-African, Latin American and transatlantic causes, opinion movements and institutions”.
“In affirming freedom of expression and the press, fighting against censorship and prior examination, founding Expresso before the 25th of April, creating a new large media group, drafting the first democratic press law, joining the Press Council, launching SIC, revolutionizing what information was at the end of the dictatorship and at the beginning of Democracy”, highlighted Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Montenegro remembers that he “was always a fighter”
Luís Montenegro, who interrupted the PSD National Council as soon as the news of Pinto Balsemão’s death became known, revealed that as soon as he received the news he informed the other members of that party meeting.
“It was with great consternation that I received the news first hand and passed it on to the PSD National Council. Naturally, We have already paid a deep, fair, warm tribute to the one who is the symbol of our formation, our values and instrument of intervention in our country”he began by saying, remembering that “like Magalhães Mota and Sá Carneiro, they sponsored and promoted the act of Constitution of the PPD, former PSD, structuring its ideological matrix and affirming its programmatic principles and values that still inspire and nourish us today”.
The PSD leader also highlighted that these values were present in the recent local elections. “We were always very inspired by that founding act and it is indeed very sad news, from someone who was always very close and present, until the end. Always with a friendly word, of encouragement, appreciation and analysis, in every electoral campaign, every moment of reflection, he never hid his points of view and often encouraged us to deepen social democracy in light of what the situation is today in the country, in Europe and in the world.”
Finally, Montenegro said that Balsemão “He was always a fighter and managed to overcome many moments of fragility”. “This time, he met with this match and we are with his family and with the journey”, he concluded.