Diogo Freitas do Amaral
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Prime Minister of Portugal (interim) |
|
| Order: | 112th (58th of the Republic, 10th since the Carnation Revolution) |
|---|---|
| Term of Office | December 4, 1980 - January 9, 1981 |
| Predecessor: | Francisco Sá Carneiro |
| Successor: | Francisco Pinto Balsemão |
| Date of Birth | July 21, 1941 |
| Place of Birth: | Póvoa de Varzim |
| Nickname | Freitas |
| Wife: | Maria José Salgado Sarmento de Matos |
| Occupation: | Professor of Law, writer, biographer, playwright, President of the United Nations General Assembly |
| Political Party: | Democratic and Social Centre, later independent in a Socialist government |
Diogo Pinto de Freitas do Amaral, GCC, GCSE, GCIH (pronounced [diˈogu ˈfɾɐitɐʃ du ɐmɐˈɾaɫ]; b. Póvoa de Varzim, 21 July 1941), usually referred to as either Freitas do Amaral or simply Freitas, is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 12 March 2005 to 1 July 2006. He also served briefly as Prime Minister in an interim capacity in the early 1980s. He is the third but first surviving son of Duarte Pinto de Carvalho de Freitas do Amaral (Guimarães, May 13, 1909 - Lisbon, July 16, 1979) and wife (married at the Chapel of the Patriarchate of Lisbon on December 12, 1936) Maria Filomena de Campos Trocado (Póvoa de Varzim, July 8, 1913 -).
In 1974, some months after the Carnation Revolution, he was one of the founders of the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), a right-wing party. He led this party till 1985, and again from 1988 to 1991. He served as a member of the Assembly of the Republic (the Portuguese Parliament) from 1975 to 1983, and again in 1992 and 1993.
In the parliamentary elections of 1979 and 1980, the Democratic Alliance (of which the CDS was a part) won a majority and formed the government, in which Freitas served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. He was also Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1980 and 1981. After the death of Francisco Sá Carneiro, Freitas do Amaral was interim Prime Minister for a short period.
He was a candidate for the presidency in the 1986 presidential election. Supported by his own People's Party and by the Social Democratic Party, he established a commanding lead in the first round, but lost the second round by some 150,000 votes to Mário Soares, who was endorsed by the two eliminated candidates.
He was President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1995.
A European federalist, he left the party he founded, disagreeing mainly with the Eurosceptic line followed by Manuel Monteiro and Paulo Portas.
Always seen as a right-winger, Freitas do Amaral supported the Social Democratic Party in the parliamentary election of 2002. However, disappointed with the government performance, and critical of its support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Freitas do Amaral surprised many observers by announcing his support for the Socialist Party in the 2005 election. He was subsequently nominated for Minister of Foreign Affairs of the XVII Constitutional Government, led by the Socialist leader José Sócrates. He resigned after a little over one year in office, citing health reasons.
He has authored a biography of King Afonso I and a play of Viriato.
He married at Santa Maria, Sintra, on August 31, 1965 Maria José Salgado Sarmento de Matos, born in Lisbon on October 13, 1943, writer as Maria Roma, and has four children:
- Pedro Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral, born in Lisbon on July 2, 1966, unmarried and without issue
- Domingos Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral, born in Lisbon on October 12, 1967, journalist and writer, married to Diana Pereira dos Reis Gentil de Quina, born on June 29, 1972, and has two children:
- Carolina Gentil de Quina de Freitas do Amaral, born on October 27, 1998
- Duarte Gentil de Quina de Freitas do Amaral, born on August 19, 2001
- Filipa Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral, born in Lisbon on June 16, 1969, married to Manuel Francisco Daun e Lorena de Barros e Carvalhosa, of the Viscounts of Santarém and Viscounts (formerly Barons) of Vila Nova da Rainha, born on July 18, 1966, without issue
- Joana Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral, born in Lisbon on June 16, 1971, married to Gonçalo de Aragão Morais Teotónio Pereira, and has two children:
- José Maria de Freitas do Amaral Teotónio Pereira
- Teresa de Freitas do Amaral Teotónio Pereira
[edit] Ancestors
| Preceded by Amara Essy |
President of the United Nations General Assembly 1995–1996 |
Succeeded by Razali Ismail |
| Preceded by João Carlos Lopes Cardoso |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1980–1981 |
Succeeded by André Gonçalves Pereira |
| Preceded by Francisco Sá Carneiro |
Prime Minister of Portugal 1980–1981 |
Succeeded by Francisco Pinto Balsemão |
| Preceded by António Monteiro |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 2005–2006 |
Succeeded by Luís Amado |
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
