“Until the end of his days, Francisco Pinto Balsemão impressed the country with his energy, sagacity, and spirit of innovation. Democracy, Parliament, and the country pay tribute to him and thank him for his life of public service,” states the note of condolence from José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, published on the official website of the Assembly of the Republic.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão, founder and number one member of the PSD, former prime minister, passed away today at the age of 88.
The president of the Assembly of the Republic expressed deep sorrow over the death of Francisco Pinto Balsemão, recalling that he was a member of the Liberal Wing before April 25, 1974, founder of the PPD, constitutional and parliamentary assembly deputy, prime minister, and creator of the Impressa group.
“Balsemão lived a long and fruitful life, intertwined with the very history of Portuguese democracy. Alongside other members of the Liberal Wing, he fought for freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and economic free initiative, against an authoritarian regime slow to modernize,” the text signed by José Pedro Aguiar-Branco points out. He further highlights Balsemão’s role in democracy as the founder of the PPD, deputy, minister, and prime minister of the VII and VIII constitutional governments.
“In this century, he joined the Council of State. A trained lawyer, he created the Impresa group and founded the weekly Expresso, a crucial medium for the affirmation of a free press in our country. He also founded SIC – Sociedade Independente de Comunicação, the first private television station in Portugal,” it adds.
With a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, Francisco Pinto Balsemão was born on September 1, 1937, in Lisbon. A journalist, businessman, and politician, he was one of the founders of the PPD, now PSD, prime minister between January 1981 and June 1983, and party president between 1980 and 1983.
A deputy of the so-called liberal wing under the previous regime, he co-authored projects for constitutional revision, press law, law of assembly and association, and religious freedom. After April 25, 1974, he served as vice-president of the Constituent Assembly, having been both a parliamentarian and a government official.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão founded the newspaper Expresso before April 25, drafted the first democratic press law, and created the Impresa communication group.
On October 6, 1992, he launched SIC, a generalist channel project, now featuring five thematic channels – SIC Notícias, SIC Radical, SIC Mulher, SIC Kids, and SIC Caras – plus SIC Internacional, and the streaming service Opto, launched in November 2020.
