“Francisco Pinto Balsemão constitutes a unique figure in the defense of three freedoms: thought, expression, and information, leaving an indelible mark on the city of Lisbon and the country, inspiring generations,” highlighted the City Council in a statement.
A former leader of the PSD, former prime minister, and founder of Expresso and SIC, Francisco Pinto Balsemão passed away on Tuesday at the age of 88.
The municipal mourning decreed by the Lisbon City Council in honor of Francisco Pinto Balsemão is to be observed today and Thursday, with the municipal flag lowered to half-mast on all buildings and municipal equipment.
Thus, the municipal mourning joins the national mourning, also lasting two days, to be observed today and Thursday.
“A visionary entrepreneur, journalist, and politician, Pinto Balsemão dedicated his life to serving the country, leaving an indelible mark on the media, democracy, and freedom in Portugal,” praised the municipality, noting that the former PSD leader was the founder of the weekly Expresso and “one of the protagonists of democratic consolidation after April 25,” also serving as prime minister, “always fulfilling his role with a sense of State, ethics, and civic commitment.”
Quoted in the statement, the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), said that the capital “loses one of its great citizens,” considering that Pinto Balsemão was “an example of intelligence, courage, and dedication to the public cause.”
“One of my personal and political references has passed away. Francisco Pinto Balsemão had a life of superlatives: he was a founder of Portuguese democracy, was prime minister, was the great pioneer of media transformation. But above all, he was also a citizen always committed to the country,” expressed Carlos Moedas.
Recalling the presentation of the City Honor Medal to Pinto Balsemão in 2023, the mayor of Lisbon expressed, on behalf of the city, the deepest condolences to the family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of working with and learning from him.
“His legacy will remain an inspiration to us all,” stated Carlos Moedas.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão was the founder, in 1973, of the weekly Expresso, during the dictatorship, of SIC, the first private television in Portugal, in 1992, and of the media group Impresa.
In 1974, after April 25, he founded, with Francisco Sá Carneiro and Magalhães Mota, the Democratic Popular Party (PPD), later the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He led two governments after the death of Sá Carneiro, between 1981 and 1983, and was, until his death, a member of the Council of State, a consultative body of the President of the Republic.
