In statements to journalists following the mass preceding the funeral of the former Prime Minister at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Rui Rio described Francisco Pinto Balsemão as an “intellectually honest, coherent, brave” man.
Commenting on Balsemão’s tenure as president of the PSD after Francisco Sá Carneiro’s death and his leadership of two AD governments between 1981 and 1983, Rui Rio noted, “The party believed Sá Carneiro’s successor needed to be like him.”
“That was impossible because Dr. Sá Carneiro was not like Dr. Balsemão either. Hence, we could have benefited more from a man of exceptional quality in public life. We utilized him much less, with his tenure as Prime Minister only lasting two years, slightly over,” he remarked.
The former PSD president mentioned Balsemão subsequently “went into business life” and, in his opinion, “everything he did in business until his last days proves he was a man of exceptional quality. If he had stayed a few more years as Prime Minister, the country could have gained much.”
“As indeed, in the short span of time, those two years, he proved it and made important reforms, starting with the 1982 constitutional reform,” he added.
Rui Rio particularly remembers those “moments from the 80s, which were even scarcer” compared to other periods.
“When we are young, these things leave a significant mark. At that time, it marked me deeply and aligned me rationally with Dr. Balsemão, but also emotionally, because, in my early twenties, seeing the injustices against him made me stand by him even more on an emotional level,” he recounted.
In his conversations with journalists, Rui Rio also touched on his tenure as the PSD leader between 2018 and 2022 and recalled a phone conversation with Balsemão during his first candidacy for party presidency, when he invited him to be his representative or the chairman of his honor committee.
According to Rui Rio, during that “probably over an hour” conversation, Balsemão asked him numerous questions to assess his “degree of social-democrat beliefs due to a concern that the party had shifted somewhat from social democracy and leaned towards the right.”
“I underwent a rigorous examination. Those who knew him well know it wasn’t a light conversation. Apparently, I passed the test, and he chose to head the honor committee over being a representative,” he concluded.
Reflecting on his leadership, Rui Rio remarked that the notion of “Portugal at the center” was “influenced by Dr. Balsemão,” but he also recalled instances when the PSD’s founding member pointed out “one point or another,” always “loyal and correct.”
When asked whether the current PSD, led by Luís Montenegro, would pass Balsemão’s test, Rui Rio deemed it inappropriate to discuss that at the moment.
The former Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão, who was the founder and member number one of the PSD and also its president, died on Tuesday at the age of 88.
Balsemão presided over the media group Impresa, which includes the Expresso, founded during the dictatorship in 1973, and SIC, the first private television channel in Portugal, launched in 1992.
After the April 25 revolution in 1974, he co-founded the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), later renamed the Social Democratic Party (PSD), with Francisco Sá Carneiro and Magalhães Mota.
He was a member of the Council of State, the President of the Republic’s advisory political body.
