António de Almeida Santos 1926 - 2016

The Socialist International remembers António de Almeida Santos, former president and honorary president of the Socialist Party (PS) of Portugal, and former president of the Portuguese parliament.

António de Almeida Santos studied law at the University of Coimbra, and worked as a lawyer early in his career. Opposed to the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal he was drawn to politics at a young age and became a member of the Group of Democrats in Mozambique where he worked until 1974 until the regime was overthrown. Santos returned to Portugal and became a parliamentarian. In four of the first provisional governments he was made Minister of Interjurisdictional Coordination, and he took the role of Minister of Social Communication in the sixth provisional government. In 1976 Santos became Minister of Justice in Mário Soares’ First Constitutional government. In the following years he worked as Deputy Minister under then Prime Minister Mário Soares’, and later Minister of State and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

António de Almeida Santos dedicated his life to social democracy and became a major and familiar figure in the Socialist Party. Between June and November 1985 Santos was interim Secretary General of the PS, and in 1992 he became party president, a role he held until 2011. He was elected Chairman of the PS Parliamentary Group from 1992 to 1993 and was President of the Portuguese Assembly between 1995 and 2002.

Never tiring of his work, António de Almeida Santos authored several articles and publications, and remained a member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1985 until his death. Santos joined many of the activities of the Socialist International, participating in Congresses and other meetings. He will be long remembered by all his comrades in our global political family.

The thoughts of the International are with his family and friends at this time, and with all the members of the Socialist Party of Portugal.