“Due to his decisive action for the country, particularly in defending political freedom and democracy—as a member of the Liberal Wing, founder of the PSD, and Prime Minister—and in defending freedom of opinion and press independence—with the creation of influential media outlets such as Expresso and SIC—Pinto Balsemão deserves a prominent place in the memory of the Portuguese people and in the history of our country,” stated António Ramalho Eanes in a written declaration.
Despite tensions and differences during their respective tenures as President of the Republic and Prime Minister, Pinto Balsemão later described Ramalho Eanes as one of the most influential figures he had encountered, along with Sá Carneiro, José Pinto Leite, and Mário Soares, in the introduction to his book “Memories.”
Francisco Pinto Balsemão, former leader of the PSD, ex-prime minister, and founder of Expresso and SIC, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 88.
Balsemão founded the weekly newspaper Expresso in 1973, during the dictatorship, the first private television station in Portugal, SIC, in 1992, and the media conglomerate Impresa.
In 1974, following the Carnation Revolution, he co-founded the Partido Popular Democrático (PPD), later the Social Democratic Party (PSD), with Francisco Sá Carneiro and Magalhães Mota. He led two governments after the death of Sá Carneiro, from 1981 to 1983, and remained a member of the Council of State, an advisory body to the President of the Republic, until his death.
