The coordinator of the Left Bloc (BE), Mariana Mortágua, paid tribute on Wednesday to Francisco Pinto Balsemão, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 88, highlighting “his commitment to freedom of expression.”
“He founded the PSD and was Prime Minister. He established a reference newspaper, even under a dictatorship, because of his commitment to freedom of expression. Upon the passing of Francisco Pinto Balsemão, I recall a basic principle: the ability to diverge is the greatest of freedoms,” she wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
The Government declared two days of national mourning – today and Thursday – following the death of the former prime minister.
Fundou o PSD e foi Primeiro-Ministro. Ergueu um jornal de referência, ainda sob ditadura, pelo seu compromisso com a liberdade de expressão. No desaparecimento de Francisco Pinto Balsemão, lembro um princípio básico: poder divergir é a maior das liberdades.
— mariana mortágua (@MRMortagua) October 22, 2025
The wake for Francisco Pinto Balsemão is set to take place today from 6:30 PM at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. The mass will follow at the same location, scheduled for 1:00 PM on Thursday, with the service being presided over by the emeritus cardinal patriarch of Lisbon, D. Manuel Clemente.
The wake and mass are open to the public, while the funeral is reserved for the family.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão, a former prime minister and businessman, passed away on the evening of Tuesday, October 21.
A statement explained that Pinto Balsemão died “of natural causes,” with his “final moments” having been spent with family.
“A major figure in the defense of liberty, an unyielding advocate of press and expression freedom, he left a mark on the country’s history over the past decades. He launched Portugal’s most important newspaper, Expresso, in 1973, and the first private television, SIC, in 1992, among many other editorial projects,” the note stated.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão died at dusk on Tuesday, October 21, at the age of 88. He was a unique figure in both politics and media. “A founder of democracy,” “one of the most significant personalities of the last sixty years,” as noted by the prime minister and the President of the Republic. “Portugal will never forget him.”
Natacha Nunes Costa with Lusa | 09:03 – 22/10/2025
