António Soares Carneiro

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General António Soares Carneiro
General António Soares Carneiro

António da Silva Osório Soares Carneiro, GCTE (born 1928 in Cabinda, Angola), pron. IPA[ɐ̃'tɔniu su'aɾɨʃ kɐɾ'nɐiɾu], is a Portuguese military officer and politician. A General in the Portuguese Army, he was Governor-General of Angola at the time of the Carnation Revolution which deposed the Estado Novo 25 April 1974.

In the presidential election of 1980, the right-wing Democratic Alliance, a coalition consisting of the Social Democratic Party, the Democratic and Social Centre, and the People's Monarchist Party, nominated Soares Carneiro as its candidate. Two of his leading supporters, Prime Minister Francisco Sá Carneiro (no relation) and Defence Minister Adelino Amaro da Costa died in a plain crash while heading for a rally in Porto two days before the election. Many analysts at the time blamed the Prime Minister's death for throwing the nation into uncertainty, causing them to rally behind the incumbent President, General António Ramalho Eanes, who was easily reelected. Soares Carneiro, however, had 40 % of the votes.

Soares Carneiro later served as Chief of Major-State General of the Armed Forces, under the administration of Aníbal Cavaco Silva.

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