Mário Soares

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Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares Template:Post-nominals (Script error: No such module "IPA".; 7 December 1924 – 7 January 2017) was a Portuguese politician, who served as prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the 17th president of Portugal from 1986 to 1996. He was the first secretary-general of the Socialist Party, from its foundation in 1973 to 1986. A major political figure in Portugal, he is considered the father of Portuguese democracy.[1]

Family

Soares was the son of João Lopes Soares (Leiria, Arrabal, 17 November 1879 – Lisbon, Campo Grande, 31 July 1970), founder of the Colégio Moderno in Lisbon, government minister and then anti-fascist republican activist who had been a priest before impregnating and marrying Elisa Nobre Baptista (Santarém, Pernes, 8 September 1887 – Lisbon, Campo Grande, 28 February 1955), Mário Soares's mother, at the 7th Conservatory of the Civil Register of Lisbon on 5 September 1934. His father also had another son by an unknown mother named Tertuliano Lopes Soares. His mother had previously been married and had two children, J. Nobre Baptista and Cândido Nobre Baptista. Mário Soares was raised as a Roman Catholic, but came to identify himself as a republican, secular and socialist.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Early life

Soares was born in the Coração de Jesus neighbourhood of Lisbon, and graduated in history and philosophy from the University of Lisbon. He became a university lecturer in 1957, but his activities in opposition to the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar led to repeated arrests. He was active in resistance groups such as the Movement for Anti-Fascist National Unity and the Movement for Democratic Unity.

Soares began his studies at Colégio Moderno, owned by his father. There, for a short period he was taught geography by Álvaro Cunhal, who would later become the towering figure of Portuguese Communism and one of Soares' greatest political rivals.

While a student at university, Soares joined the Portuguese Communist Party, being responsible for the youth section. In this capacity, he organised demonstrations in Lisbon to celebrate the end of World War II. He was first arrested by PIDE, the Portuguese political police, in 1946, when he was a member of the Central Committee of the Movement of Democratic Unity (Template:Langx), at the time chaired by Template:Ill. Soares was arrested twice in 1949. On those latter occasions, he was the secretary of General Norton de Matos, a candidate for the Presidency. However, he became estranged from de Matos when the latter discovered Soares's Communist sympathies.

Soares married Maria de Jesus Barroso Soares, an actress, on 22 February 1949, while in the Aljube prison, at the Third Conservatory of the Civil Register of Lisbon. They had a son, João Soares, who later became Mayor of Lisbon, and a daughter, Isabel Barroso Soares (born in 1951), who now manages the Colégio Moderno.

Soares's multiple arrests for political activism made it impossible for him to continue with his career as a lecturer of history and philosophy. Therefore, he decided to study law and become an attorney.

Political activity during the Estado Novo

In 1958, Soares was very active in the presidential election supporting General Humberto Delgado. Later, he would become Delgado's family lawyer, when Humberto Delgado was murdered in 1965, in Spain, by agents of the dictatorship's secret police (PIDE). As a lawyer, he defended some of Portugal's political prisoners and participated in numerous trials conducted in the Plenary Court and in the Special Military Court. Represented, particularly, Álvaro Cunhal when he was accused of several political crimes, and along with Adelino da Palma Carlos he also defended the dynastic cause of Maria Pia of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Braganza.

In April 1964, in Geneva, Switzerland, Soares together with Francisco Ramos da Costa and Manuel Tito de Morais created the Acção Socialista Portuguesa (Portuguese Socialist Action). At this point he was already quite distant from his former Communist friends (having quit the Communist Party in 1951); his views were now clearly inclined towards economic liberalism.

In March 1968, Soares was arrested again by PIDE, and a military tribunal sentenced him to banishment in the colony of São Tomé and Principe in the Gulf of Guinea.[2] His wife and two children, Isabel and João, accompanied him. However, they returned to Lisbon eight months later for in the meantime dictator Salazar had been replaced by Marcello Caetano. The new dictator wanted to present a more democratic face to the world, so many political prisoners, Soares among them, were released and allowed exile in France.[3]

In the October 1969 general election, which was rigged, the democratic opposition (whose political rights were severely restricted) entered with two different lists. Soares participated actively in the campaign supporting the Coligação Eleitoral de Unidade Democrática or CEUD (Electoral Coalition for Democratic Unity). CEUD was clearly anti-fascist, but they also reaffirmed their opposition to Communism.

In 1970, Soares was exiled to Rome, Italy, but eventually settled in France where he taught at the Universities of Vincennes, Paris and Rennes. In 1973, the 'Portuguese Socialist Action' became the Socialist Party, and Soares was elected Secretary-General. The Socialist party was created under the umbrella of Willy Brandt's SPD in Bad Münstereifel, Germany, on 19 April 1973.

Carnation Revolution

On 25 April 1974, elements of the Portuguese Army seized power in Lisbon, overthrowing Salazar's successor, Marcello Caetano. Soares and other political exiles returned home to celebrate what was termed the "Carnation Revolution".

In the provisional government which was formed after the revolution, led by the Movement of the Armed Forces (MFA), Soares became minister for overseas negotiations, charged with organising the independence of Portugal's overseas colonies. Among other encounters, he met with Samora Machel, the leader of Frelimo, to negotiate the independence of Mozambique.

File:Mário Soares 1975 (cropped).jpg
Mário Soares, 1975

Within months of the revolution however (and in spite of the April 1975 Constituent Assembly election results which gave victory to the Socialist Party and clearly favored the pro-democracy political parties), it became apparent that the Portuguese Communist Party, allied with a radical group of officers in the MFA, was attempting to extend its control over the government. The prime minister, Vasco dos Santos Gonçalves, was accused of being an agent of the Communists and a bitter confrontation developed between the Socialists and Communists over control of the newspaper República.

President Francisco da Costa Gomes dismissed Vasco Gonçalves in September 1975 and a failed far-left coup in late November ended the far-left influence in Portuguese government and politics. After the approval of the 1976 Constitution, a democratic government was finally established when national elections were held on 25 April 1976.

Prime minister

The 1976 legislative election gave the Socialists a plurality of seats in the newly created Assembly of the Republic and Soares became prime minister. Deep hostility between the Socialists and the Communists made a left-wing majority government impossible, and Soares formed a weak minority government. Vast fiscal and currency account deficits generated by previous governments forced Soares to adopt a strict austerity policy, which made him deeply unpopular. Soares had to resign from office after only two years, in 1978.

The wave of left-wing sentiment which followed the 1974 revolution had now dissipated, and a succession of conservative governments held office until 1983, with Soares' Socialist Party unsuccessful in the 1979 special elections and 1980 elections. Soares again became prime minister following the 1983 elections, holding office until late 1985. His main achievement in office was negotiating Portugal's entry into the European Economic Community. Portugal at the time was very wary of integrating itself into the EEC, and Soares almost single-handedly turned public opinion around.

Presidency

File:Mário Soares em campanha.jpg
Mário Soares during the campaign for the 1986 presidential election, in a village in Northern Portugal

In the 1986 presidential election, Soares was elected president of Portugal, beating Diogo Freitas do Amaral by little more than 2%. He was reelected in 1991, this time with almost 70% of the vote. For most of Soares' two terms of office, Portugal was governed by the centre-right Social Democratic Party, led by Aníbal Cavaco Silva.

In 1989, he was the first foreign head of state to visit Czechoslovakia in the course of the Velvet Revolution, invited by Václav Havel, who was elected president of Czechoslovakia two days later.[4]

He devised the so-called Presidência Aberta (Open Presidency), a series of tours around the country, each addressing a particular issue, such as the environment or a particular region of Portugal. Although generally well received by the public, some claimed that he was criticizing the government and exceeding his constitutional role. Others stated that the tours were in the style of medieval courts. Yet the name stuck for today's presidential initiatives of the same type.

Post-Presidency

  • Soares retired in 1996, but in 1998 he headed the Independent World Commission on the Oceans.
  • In 1999 he headed the Socialist ticket in elections to the European Parliament, where he served until the 2004 elections. He ran for President of the Parliament, but lost to Nicole Fontaine.
  • In 2000 he was awarded the North-South Prize.
  • Soares was a member of the Club de Madrid, an independent organization of more than 80 former democratic statesmen from around the world. The group works to strengthen democratic governance and leadership.[5]
  • In March 2005, he launched a petition urging the European Union to start membership talks with Cape Verde.
  • On 30 August 2005, he announced his candidacy to run for president in the election that occurred on 22 January 2006, when he was 81 years old. However, he lost the election to Aníbal Cavaco Silva and was even behind Manuel Alegre, receiving 14% of the vote. "The results went against my expectations. I accept this defeat with a feeling of mission accomplished," he said. It was suggested (on the RTP1 TV programme Prós e Contras in March 2008) that one of the reasons for his weak support could be that the Portuguese were reluctant to elect any president for more than two terms (only allowed by the Portuguese Constitution of 1976 if non-consecutive).
File:Mario Soares Carmo 1 1.jpg
Soares attending a rally in Lisbon to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, 25 April 2014
  • In the TV programme Os Grandes Portugueses (English: The Greatest Portuguese), he was voted 12th, the highest-placed among living people chosen by the public.
  • He was a member of the strongest Masonic lodge in Portugal.
  • He was president of the then Template:Ill (Template:Langx (FMS)).
  • He sat on the board of directors of the Template:Ill (Template:Langx).
  • He was a Member of the Portuguese Council of State, as a former elected president of Portugal.
  • After the Finnish general elections on 17 April 2011, Soares opined that "Finland has changed into an extremely conservative country, where solidarity is unknown." Soares evoked the memory of Kalevi Sorsa, contrasting his generosity with "those dwarfs, who now want to rule Finland, their ethical values and hostility to Portugal". According to Soares the Finns live in an illusion, believing that "speculative markets and credit criminals can destroy nations with nine hundred years' independent history".[6]

Death and state funeral

File:Guarda de Honra monta guarda junto ao caixão do ex-presidente Mário Soares.png
Mário Soares lying-in-state in Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon, 10 January 2017

Soares died on 7 January 2017 at the age of 92.[7] He had been admitted to the hospital on 13 December, and although his condition at first showed slight signs of improvement, he lapsed into a coma on 26 December from which he never recovered.[8] The Portuguese Government offered a state funeral and declared three days of national mourning. It was the first state funeral in Portugal after that of President Óscar Carmona in 1951.[9] After lying in state at Jerónimos Monastery during 9 January, his remains were transported to Prazeres Cemetery the next day, and now lie at the family vault next to those of his wife.

Honours and awards

National honours

N.B. according to "Ordens honoríficas portuguesas – Nacionais com Ordens Portuguesas" recipients:

Foreign honours

N.B. according to "Ordens honoríficas portuguesas – Nacionais com Ordens Estrangeiras" recipients:

Foreign awards

In 1998, Soares won the International Simón Bolívar Prize of UNESCO.

In 2000, Soares received the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe.

He was an honorary member of the Club of Rome and member of High Council of Francophonie.

He was appointed Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) by the University of Leicester in 1994.[21]

Soares was named the "patron" for the College of Europe's academic year 2020-2021.[22]

Electoral history

Legislative election, 1969

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Ballot: 26 October 1969Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
style="background:Template:Party color;"| UN Marcelo Caetano 981,263 88.0 130 ±0
MDP/CDE Francisco Pereira de Moura 114,745 10.3 0 new
CEUD Mário Soares 16,863 1.5 0 new
CEM Henrique Barrilaro Ruas 1,324 0.1 0 new
Blank/Invalid ballots 1,053
Turnout 1,115,248 62.50 150 ±0
Source: Legislativas 1969[23]

Constituent Assembly, 1975

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Ballot: 25 April 1975Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes % Seats
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PS Mário Soares 2,162,972 37.9 116
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PPD Francisco Sá Carneiro 1,507,282 26.4 81
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PCP Álvaro Cunhal 711,935 12.5 30
style="background:Template:Party color;"| CDS Diogo Freitas do Amaral 434,879 7.6 16
MDP/CDE Francisco Pereira de Moura 236,318 4.1 5
FSP Manuel Serra 66,307 1.2 0
MES Afonso de Barros 58,248 1.0 0
Other parties 137,213 2.4 2
Blank/Invalid ballots 396,675 7.0
Turnout 5,711,829 91.66 250
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[24]

Legislative election, 1976

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Ballot: 25 April 1976Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PS Mário Soares 1,912,921 34.9 107 –9
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PPD Francisco Sá Carneiro 1,335,381 24.4 73 –8
style="background:Template:Party color;"| CDS Diogo Freitas do Amaral 876,007 16.0 42 +26
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PCP Álvaro Cunhal 788,830 14.4 40 +10
UDP Mário Tomé 91,690 1.7 1 ±0
Other parties 220,936 4.0 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 257,696 2.7
Turnout 5,483,461 83.53 263 +13
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[25]

Legislative election, 1979

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Ballot: 2 December 1979Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
AD Francisco Sá Carneiro 2,719,208 45.3 128 +13
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PS Mário Soares 1,642,136 27.3 74 –33
style="background:Template:Party color;"| APU Álvaro Cunhal 1,129,322 18.8 47 +7
UDP Mário Tomé 130,842 2.2 1 ±0
PDC José Sanches Osório 72,514 1.2 0 ±0
Other parties 149,717 2.5 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 163,714 2.7
Turnout 6,007,453 82.86 250 –13
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[26]

Legislative election, 1980

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Ballot: 5 October 1980Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
AD Francisco Sá Carneiro 2,868,076 47.6 134 +6
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PS Mário Soares 1,673,279 27.8 74 ±0
style="background:Template:Party color;"| APU Álvaro Cunhal 1,009,505 16.8 41 –6
UDP Mário Tomé 83,204 1.4 1 ±0
POUS Carmelinda Pereira 83,095 1.4 0 ±0
PSR 60,496 1.0 0 ±0
Other parties 111,078 1.8 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 137,692 2.3
Turnout 6,026,395 83.94 250 ±0
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[27]

Legislative election, 1983

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Ballot: 25 April 1983Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PS Mário Soares 2,061,309 36.1 101 +35
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PSD Carlos Mota Pinto 1,554,804 27.2 75 –7
style="background:Template:Party color;"| APU Álvaro Cunhal 1,031,609 18.1 44 +3
style="background:Template:Party color;"| CDS Lucas Pires 716,705 12.6 30 –16
Other parties 196,498 3.4 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 146,770 2.6
Turnout 5,707,695 77.79 263 ±0
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[28]

Presidential election, 1986

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Ballot: 26 January and 16 February 1986Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Candidate First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Mário Soares 1,443,683 25.4 3,010,756 51.2
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Diogo Freitas do Amaral 2,629,597 46.3 2,872,064 48.8
Francisco Salgado Zenha 1,185,867 20.9
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo 418,961 7.4
Blank/Invalid ballots 64,626 54,280
Turnout 5,742,734 75.39 5,937,100 77.99
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[29][30]

Presidential election, 1991

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Ballot: 13 January 1991Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Candidate Votes %
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Mário Soares 3,459,521 70.4
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Basílio Horta 696,379 14.2
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Carlos Carvalhas 635,373 12.9
Carlos Manuel Marques 126,581 2.6
Blank/Invalid ballots 180,214
Turnout 5,098,768 62.16
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[31]

European Parliament election, 1999

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Ballot: 13 June 1999Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes % Seats +/−
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PS Mário Soares 1,493,146 43.1 12 +2
style="background:Template:Party color;"| PSD Pacheco Pereira 1,078,528 31.1 9 ±0
style="background:Template:Party color;"| CDU Ilda Figueiredo 357,671 10.3 2 –1
style="background:Template:Party color;"| CDS–PP Paulo Portas 283,067 8.2 2 –1
style="background:Template:Party color;"| BE Miguel Portas 61,920 1.8 0 new
Other parties 79,619 2.3 0 ±0
Blank/Invalid ballots 113,134 3.3
Turnout 3,467,085 39.93 25 ±0
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[32]

President of the European Parliament election, 1999

Ballot: 20 July 1999Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Candidate Votes %
bgcolor=Template:Party color| EPP Nicole Fontaine 306 60.5
bgcolor=Template:Party color| PES Mário Soares 200 39.5
Turnout 506
Source: Resultados[33]

Presidential election, 2006

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Ballot: 22 January 2006Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Candidate Votes %
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Aníbal Cavaco Silva 2,773,431 50.5
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Manuel Alegre 1,138,297 20.7
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Mário Soares 785,355 14.3
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Jerónimo de Sousa 474,083 8.6
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Francisco Louçã 292,198 5.3
style="background:Template:Party color;"| Garcia Pereira 23,983 0.4
Blank/Invalid ballots 102,785
Turnout 5,590,132 61.53
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[34]

References

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Further reading

  • Wilsford, David, ed. Political Leaders of Contemporary Western Europe: A Biographical Dictionary (Greenwood, 1995) pp. 413–21.

External links

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