“More than just the founder of the PPD/PSD, prime minister, or pioneer in the media sector, Francisco Pinto Balsemão was, throughout his life, a cultivator of freedom,” wrote Cotrim Figueiredo on the social media platform X.
For the former president of the Liberal Initiative, Balsemão was a “major figure” in Portuguese democracy.
“His vision, his boldness, his ability to take risks and imagine and build a freer and more prosperous country inspire us and form a legacy that time will not overcome,” he declared, offering condolences to the PSD, the media group Impresa, friends, and family of Pinto Balsemão.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão, former PSD leader, ex-prime minister, and founder of Expresso and SIC, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 88.
Deixou-nos hoje uma figura maior da nossa democracia. Mais do que fundador do PPD/PSD, primeiro-ministro ou precursor no setor dos media, Francisco Pinto Balsemão foi, ao longo de toda a vida, um cultor da liberdade.
A sua visão, a sua ousadia, a sua capacidade de correr riscos… pic.twitter.com/y4R6emhgha
— João Cotrim Figueiredo (@jcf_liberal) October 21, 2025
The news of the death of the PSD’s number one member was announced by the social-democratic president and prime minister, Luís Montenegro, during a national council meeting of the party in Lisbon.
Balsemão founded the weekly newspaper Expresso in 1973, during the dictatorship, and SIC, the first private television in Portugal, in 1992, along with the media group Impresa.
In 1974, after the April 25th revolution, he founded the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), later known as the Social Democratic Party (PSD), with Francisco Sá Carneiro and Magalhães Mota. He led two governments after Sá Carneiro’s death, from 1981 to 1983, and, until now, was a member of the Council of State, a consultative body to the President of the Republic.
