Paulo Portas
Encyclopedia
Paulo de Sacadura Cabral Portas (born 12 September 1962 in Lisbon
), commonly known just by Paulo Portas (ˈpawlu ˈpɔɾtɐʃ), is a Portuguese
politician, party leader of the Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party (CDS-PP), a member of the Portuguese Parliament and former Portuguese minister of State, National Defense and Sea Affairs.
In 2011, after he led his party to its best result in 30 years
, Portas became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and State
of Portugal in a coalition government between the PSD
and the CDS-PP.
, in a family with roots in Vila Viçosa
on the paternal side and agricultural aristocracy
of the side of his mother, Portas grew up in a political family. His father, Nuno Portas (b. September 23, 1934 in Vila Viçosa
), an architect
, was a progressive
, left-wing Roman Catholic. His mother, Helena Sacadura Cabral (b. December 7, 1934 in Lisbon
), an economist
, a jewel designer and journalist
, was a conservative
. Ms. Sacadura Cabral seemed to have greater influence on young Paulo. When his parents separated, Paulo stayed with his mother, while his brother Miguel Portas
(a member of Bloco de Esquerda – Left Bloc) grew up with his father. By his mother side, Paulo is a great-nephew of Artur de Sacadura Cabral, an aviation commander who made the first ever trip from Portugal
to Brazil
in seaplane
, with another commander, Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho
.
He was a militant member of the Democratic Popular Party (PPD, which is today's Social Democratic Party
). He was a staunch follower of Francisco Sá Carneiro
.
He became relatively known at a very early age for an article he wrote called "Três Traições" ("Three Treasons"), which attacked three prominent politicians: António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes, Diogo Freitas do Amaral
, and Mário Soares
. In the article, written while a teenager, but published in a weekly newspaper
, he criticised the policy of decolonisation after the fall of Estado Novo in 1974.
Portas studied law in the Portuguese Catholic University.
, Portas was a journalist
. In the late 1980s, he co-founded, with Miguel Esteves Cardoso
, the weekly newspaper
O Independente
, which became famous for denouncing political scandals during the governments of Aníbal Cavaco Silva
(1985–1995). This position earned him the qualification as one of the most hated men in the country. Many social-democrat politicians never forgave him his attitude during this period and never accepted his alliance with José Manuel Durão Barroso
in 2002.
In 1995 he first became an MP
with the People's Party (CDS-PP), and would eventually break with then-leader, Manuel Monteiro
, three years later, to become the party leader himself. In the Parliament
(1995-2002), he is known to be found of a very peculiar style of speech, using humour
bordering paternalism, right-wing populist
, demagoguery and unashamed self-infatuation, which he crystallised as his trademark, to contradict the views of the Portuguese Government, then led by the socialist António Guterres
.
In 1998 Portas became the leader of the CDS-PP, which was in two coalition governments with the Social Democratic Party
, from April 2002 to March 2005.
In the 2002 legislative elections, the People's Party won 14 of 230 seats in the Portuguese Parliament, with 8.8 percent of the vote. Portas was appointed Minister of State and National Defence in the first coalition government.
In 2004, while Defence minister, he sent war ships to prevent the entrance in Portuguese waters of a Dutch ship owned by the pro-choice
organization Women on Waves
. This ship was intended to pick up women and take them to international waters
to be informed on how to perform abortions. Under Portuguese law, abortion was only allowed under very strict circumstances. One of the main critics of this decision was his own brother, Miguel Portas
, a MP
of the European Parliament
. His decision was praised by both the Catholic Church and the pro-life groups in Portugal.
In June 2004, Prime Minister Durão Barroso
resigned to became President of the European Commission
, and was replaced by Pedro Santana Lopes
, Portas becoming Minister of State, National Defence and Sea Affairs. It is not clear how Portas viewed the self-austing of Barroso and the rise of the unelected new Prime Minister, Santana Lopes.
Santana Lopes' and Paulo Portas' joint government had a short existence from the very start, and after the dissolution of Parliament by president Jorge Sampaio, the coalition suffered a crushing defeat in the early elections that followed in early 2005, with the PP losing 60,000 votes and two of its fourteen seats in Parliament; Portas announced on election night that he would resign from the party's leadership. His young right-wing supports cried in front of TV cameras before a leader still able to arouse the emotions of his zealot supporters. This exit from the stage would reveal temporary at best, as it is widely acknowledged that he never did stop interfering with the new leader through the destabilising conduct of his personal allies in the party. However he became leader of the Party again in 2007. In the 2009 legislative election Portas won 9 seats in the parliament and his party came to rouse as the third political force in Portugal.
Portas intervened weekly in a night talk show, called "O estado da Arte" (The state of the Art), where he analyses and elaborates on current mediatic issues. He also served as the chosen supporter of John II of Portugal
in the Portuguese version of BBC
's 100 greatest Britons
: Grandes Portugueses.
In 2011, after he led his party to its best result in 30 years, Portas became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and State of Portugal in a coalition government between the PSD and the CDS-PP, in which his party got 3 ministries, the PSD got 4 and independents had 4.
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
), commonly known just by Paulo Portas (ˈpawlu ˈpɔɾtɐʃ), is a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
politician, party leader of the Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party (CDS-PP), a member of the Portuguese Parliament and former Portuguese minister of State, National Defense and Sea Affairs.
In 2011, after he led his party to its best result in 30 years
Portuguese legislative election, 2011
A general election was held in Portugal on 5 June 2011 to elect all 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic. Pedro Passos Coelho led the center-right Social Democratic Party to victory over the Socialist Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister José Sócrates...
, Portas became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and State
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Portugal)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal is in charge of conducting the foreign policy established by the Portuguese government, representing the country in many international meetings. The current Minister is Paulo Portas...
of Portugal in a coalition government between the PSD
Social Democratic Party (Portugal)
The Social Democratic Party , is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Portugal. It is commonly known by its initials, PSD; on ballot papers, its initials appear as PPD/PSD, with the first three letters coming from the party's original name, Democratic People's Party...
and the CDS-PP.
Early life
Born in LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, in a family with roots in Vila Viçosa
Vila Viçosa
Vila Viçosa is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 195.0 km² and a total population of 8,745 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora....
on the paternal side and agricultural aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
of the side of his mother, Portas grew up in a political family. His father, Nuno Portas (b. September 23, 1934 in Vila Viçosa
Vila Viçosa
Vila Viçosa is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 195.0 km² and a total population of 8,745 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora....
), an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, was a progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
, left-wing Roman Catholic. His mother, Helena Sacadura Cabral (b. December 7, 1934 in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
), an economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, a jewel designer and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, was a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
. Ms. Sacadura Cabral seemed to have greater influence on young Paulo. When his parents separated, Paulo stayed with his mother, while his brother Miguel Portas
Miguel Portas
Miguel de Sacadura Cabral Portas is a Portuguese politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the Left Bloc; part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left group...
(a member of Bloco de Esquerda – Left Bloc) grew up with his father. By his mother side, Paulo is a great-nephew of Artur de Sacadura Cabral, an aviation commander who made the first ever trip from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
, with another commander, Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho
Gago Coutinho
Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, GCTE, GCC, generally known simply as Gago Coutinho was a Portuguese aviation pioneer who, together with Sacadura Cabral , was the first to cross the South Atlantic Ocean by air, from March to June 1922 , from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.The Fairey IIIB seaplane used by...
.
He was a militant member of the Democratic Popular Party (PPD, which is today's Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Portugal)
The Social Democratic Party , is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Portugal. It is commonly known by its initials, PSD; on ballot papers, its initials appear as PPD/PSD, with the first three letters coming from the party's original name, Democratic People's Party...
). He was a staunch follower of Francisco Sá Carneiro
Francisco Sá Carneiro
Francisco Manuel Lumbrales de Sá Carneiro, GCTE, GCC, GCL founded the Portuguese Social Democratic Party in 1974 and was elected Prime Minister of Portugal in January 1980, but only held office for eleven months, dying in a plane crash with his partner, Snu Abecassis, on December 4, 1980...
.
He became relatively known at a very early age for an article he wrote called "Três Traições" ("Three Treasons"), which attacked three prominent politicians: António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes, Diogo Freitas do Amaral
Diogo Freitas do Amaral
Diogo Pinto de Freitas do Amaral, GCC, GCSE, GCIH , usually referred to as either Freitas do Amaral or informally Freitas, is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 12 March 2005 to 1 July 2006...
, and Mário Soares
Mário Soares
Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares, GColTE, GCC, GColL, KE , Portuguese politician, served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the 17th President of Portugal from 1986 to 1996.-Family:...
. In the article, written while a teenager, but published in a weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
, he criticised the policy of decolonisation after the fall of Estado Novo in 1974.
Portas studied law in the Portuguese Catholic University.
Career
Before becoming a politicianPolitician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, Portas was a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. In the late 1980s, he co-founded, with Miguel Esteves Cardoso
Miguel Esteves Cardoso
Miguel Vicente Esteves Cardoso is a Portuguese writer, translator, critic and journalist. He's a well known monarchist and conservative.-Early life:...
, the weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
O Independente
O Independente
O Independente was a Portuguese weekly newspaper, published on Fridays. It was founded in May 1988 by Miguel Esteves Cardoso, who became its first editor, and Paulo Portas, who succeeded him in 1990 and served until 1995, when he left to run for office as a conservative politician. Its last...
, which became famous for denouncing political scandals during the governments of Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Aníbal António Cavaco Silva, GCC , is the President of Portugal. He won the Portuguese presidential election on 22 January 2006 and was re-elected on 23 January 2011, for a second five-year term. Cavaco Silva was sworn in on 9 March 2006....
(1985–1995). This position earned him the qualification as one of the most hated men in the country. Many social-democrat politicians never forgave him his attitude during this period and never accepted his alliance with José Manuel Durão Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso is a Portuguese politician. He is President of the European Commission, since 23 November 2004. He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 6 April 2002 to 17 July 2004.-Academic career:...
in 2002.
In 1995 he first became an MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
with the People's Party (CDS-PP), and would eventually break with then-leader, Manuel Monteiro
Manuel Monteiro
Manuel Fernando da Silva Monteiro is a Portuguese lawyer and politician.After winning the leadership of the conservative Democratic and Social Center in March 1992, he moved the party somewhat further to the right and changed its name to the People's Party in 1995...
, three years later, to become the party leader himself. In the Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
(1995-2002), he is known to be found of a very peculiar style of speech, using humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
bordering paternalism, right-wing populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
, demagoguery and unashamed self-infatuation, which he crystallised as his trademark, to contradict the views of the Portuguese Government, then led by the socialist António Guterres
António Guterres
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, GCC is a Portuguese politician, a former prime minister and President of the Socialist International. Currently he is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.-Early life:...
.
In 1998 Portas became the leader of the CDS-PP, which was in two coalition governments with the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Portugal)
The Social Democratic Party , is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Portugal. It is commonly known by its initials, PSD; on ballot papers, its initials appear as PPD/PSD, with the first three letters coming from the party's original name, Democratic People's Party...
, from April 2002 to March 2005.
In the 2002 legislative elections, the People's Party won 14 of 230 seats in the Portuguese Parliament, with 8.8 percent of the vote. Portas was appointed Minister of State and National Defence in the first coalition government.
In 2004, while Defence minister, he sent war ships to prevent the entrance in Portuguese waters of a Dutch ship owned by the pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
organization Women on Waves
Women on Waves
Women on Waves is a Dutch pro-choice non-profit organization created in 1999 by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts, in order to bring reproductive health services, particularly non-surgical abortion services, to women in countries with restrictive abortion laws. Other services offered by WoW include...
. This ship was intended to pick up women and take them to international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
to be informed on how to perform abortions. Under Portuguese law, abortion was only allowed under very strict circumstances. One of the main critics of this decision was his own brother, Miguel Portas
Miguel Portas
Miguel de Sacadura Cabral Portas is a Portuguese politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the Left Bloc; part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left group...
, a MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. His decision was praised by both the Catholic Church and the pro-life groups in Portugal.
In June 2004, Prime Minister Durão Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso is a Portuguese politician. He is President of the European Commission, since 23 November 2004. He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 6 April 2002 to 17 July 2004.-Academic career:...
resigned to became President of the European Commission
President of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
, and was replaced by Pedro Santana Lopes
Pedro Santana Lopes
Pedro Miguel de Santana Lopes , a Portuguese lawyer and politician, was Prime Minister of Portugal from 2004 to 2005. He is a former and current Member of the Portuguese Parliament.-Background:...
, Portas becoming Minister of State, National Defence and Sea Affairs. It is not clear how Portas viewed the self-austing of Barroso and the rise of the unelected new Prime Minister, Santana Lopes.
Santana Lopes' and Paulo Portas' joint government had a short existence from the very start, and after the dissolution of Parliament by president Jorge Sampaio, the coalition suffered a crushing defeat in the early elections that followed in early 2005, with the PP losing 60,000 votes and two of its fourteen seats in Parliament; Portas announced on election night that he would resign from the party's leadership. His young right-wing supports cried in front of TV cameras before a leader still able to arouse the emotions of his zealot supporters. This exit from the stage would reveal temporary at best, as it is widely acknowledged that he never did stop interfering with the new leader through the destabilising conduct of his personal allies in the party. However he became leader of the Party again in 2007. In the 2009 legislative election Portas won 9 seats in the parliament and his party came to rouse as the third political force in Portugal.
Portas intervened weekly in a night talk show, called "O estado da Arte" (The state of the Art), where he analyses and elaborates on current mediatic issues. He also served as the chosen supporter of John II of Portugal
John II of Portugal
John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...
in the Portuguese version of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's 100 greatest Britons
100 Greatest Britons
100 Greatest Britons was broadcast in 2002 by the BBC. The programme was the result of a vote conducted to determine whom the United Kingdom public considers the greatest British people in history. The series, Great Britons, included individual programmes on the top ten, with viewers having further...
: Grandes Portugueses.
In 2011, after he led his party to its best result in 30 years, Portas became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and State of Portugal in a coalition government between the PSD and the CDS-PP, in which his party got 3 ministries, the PSD got 4 and independents had 4.