Francisco Pinto Balsemão Facts for Kids

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Balsemão in 2012

Prime Minister of Portugal
In office 9 January 1981 – 9 June 1983
President	António Ramalho Eanes
Deputy	Diogo Freitas do Amaral
Preceded by	Francisco Sá Carneiro
Succeeded by	Mário Soares
President of the Social Democratic Party
In office 13 December 1980 – 27 February 1983
Secretary-General	António Capucho
Preceded by	Francisco Sá Carneiro
Succeeded by	Nuno Rodrigues dos Santos
Minister of Social Affairs
In office 3 August 1981 – 4 September 1981
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	João Morais Leitão
Succeeded by	Carlos Macedo
Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister
In office 3 January 1980 – 9 January 1981
Prime Minister	Francisco Sá Carneiro
Preceded by	Manuel da Costa Brás
Succeeded by	Basílio Horta
Member of the Assembly of the Republic
In office 4 November 1985 – 12 August 1987
Constituency	Lisbon
In office 3 June 1976 – 12 November 1980
Constituency	Porto
In office 2 June 1975 – 2 April 1976
Constituency	Lisbon

Personal details
Born	(1937-09-01) 1 September 1937 (age 87) Lisbon, Portugal
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Children	5
Relatives	Pedro IV of Portugal (great-great-grandfather)
Alma mater	University of Lisbon
Occupation	Journalist, newspaper editor, newspaper administrator, chief executive officer of Impresa media group, chair of the european publishers council
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Francisco José Pereira Pinto Balsemão was born on September 1, 1937, in Lisbon, Portugal. He is a well-known Portuguese businessman, a former journalist, and a retired politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1981 to 1983.

Early Life and Family Background
Career Journey
Family Life
Honours and Awards
- Portuguese Honours
- International Honours
See also

Early Life and Family Background

Francisco Pinto Balsemão's parents were Henrique Patrício Pinto Balsemão and Maria Adelaide van Zeller de Castro Pereira. Interestingly, his mother was the great-granddaughter of Pedro I of Brazil, who was also known as Pedro IV of Portugal. This means he has a connection to Portuguese royalty!

Career Journey

From Journalism to Politics

Pinto Balsemão studied Law at the University of Lisbon. Before he became a politician, he had a successful career in newspaper publishing. He worked as a journalist and then as an administrator for a newspaper called Diário Popular from 1963 to 1971.

In 1973, he started his own magazine, Expresso, and was its director until 1980. Today, he is one of the main leaders and owners of the Impresa media group, which is a big company that owns many newspapers, magazines, and TV channels.

Entering the Political Scene

Pinto Balsemão became a Member of Parliament (MP) before the 1974 revolution in Portugal. He was one of the people who helped create the Social Democratic Party (PSD). This party is still very important in Portugal today, and he is known as member number 1.

In 1975, he was chosen to be part of the Constituent Assembly. This group had the important job of writing a new constitution for the country. He also served as a Vice-President of this assembly.

Becoming Prime Minister

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) formed a group called the Democratic Alliance, which won two elections in 1979 and 1980. Pinto Balsemão held important roles in the government led by Prime Minister Francisco Sá Carneiro.

Sadly, Sá Carneiro died in an air accident in December 1980. The Social Democratic Party then chose Pinto Balsemão to take his place as Prime Minister. He served in this role from 1981 to 1983.

Even though he was known for being very capable, some people felt he didn't have the same strong personality as Sá Carneiro. He also faced challenges keeping his party's support and dealing with disagreements within the Democratic Alliance. These difficulties led to his party's defeat in the 1983 election. He left Parliament in 1987 but continued to be involved in politics.

Pinto Balsemão with Ronald Reagan in a meeting at the Oval Office, 1982.

Later Career and Influence

Today, Pinto Balsemão is the Chairman of the European Publishers Council. This council brings together leaders from publishing companies across Europe. He is also the chief executive officer of the Impresa media group in Portugal.

He founded Sociedade Independente de Comunicação (SIC) on October 6, 1992. This was a big moment because SIC became the first private television network in Portugal.

He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group, which is a group of influential people who meet to discuss global issues. He has attended many of their conferences since 1981.

Pinto Balsemão was also a Member of the Portuguese Council of State. This is an important advisory body to the President of Portugal.

Family Life

Francisco Pinto Balsemão has five children. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Maria Isabel de Lacerda Pinto da Costa Lobo, and they had two children: Mónica and Henrique. His second marriage was to Maria Mercedes Aliu Presas, and they had two children: Joana and Francisco Pedro. He also has another son, Francisco Maria, from a relationship outside of marriage.

Honours and Awards

Francisco Pinto Balsemão has received many important awards and honours, both from Portugal and from other countries. These awards recognize his contributions and service.