“It was with profound sadness that I received the news of Francisco Pinto Balsemão’s passing. A man of firm democratic convictions, Balsemão played a prominent role in Portuguese political history, particularly during the turbulent period of our democracy’s consolidation,” Seguro stated in a social media post.
The former PS leader highlights a “life marked by a strong sense of commitment to freedom and democracy” as prime minister, founder and leader of the PSD, journalist, and media entrepreneur.
“His dedication to the democratic cause and the contribution he made to political and media pluralism in Portugal are legacies that will remain in our country’s collective memory,” he praises.
Seguro extends his heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and the PSD.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão, former leader of the PSD, ex-prime minister, and founder of Expresso and SIC, died on Tuesday at the age of 88.
The news of the death of the PSD’s number one member was announced by social-democrat president and prime minister, Luís Montenegro, during a meeting of the party’s national council in Lisbon.
Balsemão was the founder, in 1973, of the weekly Expresso, during the dictatorship, of SIC, Portugal’s first private television station, in 1992, and of the media group Impresa.
In 1974, after April 25, he founded, with Francisco Sá Carneiro and Magalhães Mota, the Popular Democratic 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, an advisory body to the President of the Republic.
