“We are talking about one of the great figures in Portuguese politics and society of the last 60 years,” stated Paulo Rangel to journalists at the PSD Council.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also emphasized Francisco Pinto Balsemão’s “lucid voice,” noting his role in establishing “true Western democracy.”
“As Prime Minister, he played a decisive role in the 1982 constitutional review, which ended the military oversight of the democratic regime and thereby created a true Western democracy. There are projects that changed the country in non-urban areas – in Alqueva, Douro – that also bear his mark. After that, he was the man of free television,” he remarked, highlighting Balsemão’s impact on society.
Rangel also discussed two characteristics of Pinto Balsemão, noting that one of them was straightforwardness, something that “inspired” him. “He had the knack of telling everyone precisely what he thought. This didn’t mean he often got angry with people. But that straightforwardness, not a very Portuguese trait, was characteristic of him. Another trait was love for innovation,” he stated, recalling Balsemão’s words on Artificial Intelligence and his role in the digital arena. “A man always interested in modernity,” he reinforced.
“Someone profoundly unusual who marked the Portuguese Republic […]. He was not just a man of freedom. He represented freedom by his life and his way of being. He was someone who changed Portugal as a politician, but perhaps the legacy that will remain strongest is press freedom.” he argued.
Lusa | 00:45 – 22/10/2025
