“With the death of Dr. Francisco Pinto Balsemão, one of the greatest figures in Portuguese business has vanished,” stated AIP in a condolence note regarding the founder of the Impresa group, owner of SIC and Expresso, among other media outlets.
“His civic and public involvement was marked by a steadfast defense of private initiative and liberal democracy,” the association recalled, emphasizing that Francisco Pinto Balsemão “is an unquestionable figure in the political and business history of the country.”
The association also highlighted “the commitment and dedication that the Impresa group has always demonstrated to business associations, having been part of the AIP Board for many years.”
The social bodies of the Portuguese Industrial Association “express their deep condolences to his family.”
The Council of Ministers approved today a two-day national mourning decree for his death, today and Thursday.
The vigil will be held today at 18:30 at the Jerónimos Monastery, and the mass will take place on Thursday at 13:00, presided over by D. Manuel Clemente.
Balsemão was a key figure in the history of media in Portugal, a journalist who never ceased to be a politician, with a guiding thread of the fight for freedom of expression and the right to inform.
Founder of the weekly Expresso during the dictatorship (1973), and SIC, the first private television in Portugal, he died on Tuesday at the age of 88, from natural causes.
In 1974, after April 25th, he founded, with Francisco Sá Carneiro and Magalhães Mota, the Democratic Popular Party (PPD), later the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He led two governments after the death of Sá Carneiro, between 1981 and 1983, and was, until now, a member of the Council of State, a consultative body of the President of the Republic.
