Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
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Official portrait, 2017
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| 20th President of Portugal | |
| Assumed office 9 March 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | António Costa Luís Montenegro |
| Preceded by | Aníbal Cavaco Silva |
| President of the Social Democratic Party | |
| In office 31 March 1996 – 1 May 1999 |
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| Secretary-General | Rui Rio Carlos Horta e Costa António Capucho Artur Torres Pereira |
| Preceded by | Fernando Nogueira |
| Succeeded by | José Manuel Barroso |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 31 March 1996 – 1 May 1999 |
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| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | Fernando Nogueira |
| Succeeded by | José Manuel Barroso |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | |
| In office 12 June 1982 – 9 June 1983 |
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| Prime Minister | Francisco Pinto Balsemão |
| Preceded by | Fernando Amaral |
| Succeeded by | António de Almeida Santos |
| Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers | |
| In office 4 September 1981 – 10 June 1982 |
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| Prime Minister | Francisco Pinto Balsemão |
| Preceded by | José Luís da Cruz Vilaça |
| Succeeded by | Leonor Beleza |
| Member of the Assembly of the Republic | |
| In office 2 June 1975 – 2 April 1976 |
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| Constituency | Lisbon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa
12 December 1948 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (1975–2015) Independent (since 2015) |
| Spouse |
Ana Cristina da Mota Veiga
(m. 1972; div. 1983) |
| Domestic partner | Rita Amaral (1981–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Baltasar Rebelo de Sousa (father) |
| Residences | Belém Palace (official) Cascais (private) |
| Signature |  |
Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa was born on December 12, 1948. He is a Portuguese politician and a university professor. Since March 9, 2016, he has been the 20th and current president of Portugal.
Before becoming president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was a member of the Social Democratic Party. He has worked as a government minister and a member of parliament. He was also a legal scholar, journalist, and law professor.
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Early Life and Education
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was born in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. His parents were Baltasar Rebelo de Sousa and Maria das Neves Fernandes Duarte. He was named after his godfather, Marcello Caetano. Caetano was the last prime minister of the Estado Novo regime.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa became a professor and publicist. He specialized in constitutional law and administrative law. He earned his doctorate degree at the University of Lisbon. There, he also taught law to students.
Political and Academic Career
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa began his career as a lawyer and journalist. This was during the time of the Estado Novo government. He later joined the Popular Democratic Party. He became a Deputy in the Assembly of the Republic.
While in the Assembly, he helped write Portugal's constitution in 1976. He then became the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. This was under Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão. He also helped start the Expresso newspaper. He was a director and administrator there.
He also worked for another newspaper, Semanário, from 1983 to 1987. He became well-known as a political analyst on the radio. He had a show called Exams on TSF. On this show, he would give grades to politicians.
In 1989, he ran to become the Mayor of Lisbon. He lost this election but won a seat as a City Councilor. During his campaign, he famously jumped into the Tagus River. He did this to show that the water was not polluted. He also served as the President of the Municipal Assembly of Cascais (1979–1982). Later, he was President of the Municipal Assembly of Celorico de Basto (1997–2009).
Leading the Social Democratic Party (1996–1999)
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was the leader of the Social Democratic Party. He held this position from March 31, 1996, to May 1, 1999. He created a group called the Democratic Alliance. This group included the People's Party in 1998. He also became the Vice-President of the European People's Party–European Democrats.
After Party Leadership
After his time as party leader, he had a weekly political show. This show was on the public TV station RTP. He had a similar show on the private TV station TVI before that.
In 2010, he left RTP and went back to TVI for his old show. President Aníbal Cavaco Silva made him a Member of the Council of State. He was sworn in on April 6, 2006.
Presidency
On January 24, 2016, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was elected as President of Portugal. He won in the first round of voting. He ran as an independent candidate. He promised to help heal political divisions in the country. He also wanted to help Portugal recover from its financial difficulties. Unlike the president before him, he had not held a top government job.
In March 2020, Portugal declared a state of emergency for the first time in 46 years. This was to help control the COVID-19 pandemic. President Rebelo de Sousa asked parliament to allow this.
In December 2020, he announced he would run for president again. He was re-elected in January 2021 with 60.7% of the votes. This was one of the highest vote percentages in Portugal's presidential elections. He was also the first candidate to win votes in every single city and town in Portugal.
During his time as president, he has spoken about Portugal's past. He has supported acknowledging abuses from Portugal's colonial history. He also spoke about the country's role in the Atlantic slave trade.
Presidential Visits to Other Countries
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As President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has visited many countries. These include the Vatican City, Spain, Brazil, and the United States of America. His first visit was to the Vatican City. There, he met with Pope Francis. In 2019, he joined President Emmanuel Macron for the Bastille Day military parade in Paris. This parade celebrated European military cooperation.
Health and Public Appearances
In December 2017, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had emergency surgery. This was to treat an umbilical hernia. He praised the Portuguese National Health Service after his recovery.
In June 2018, he was briefly in the hospital. This happened after he felt unwell during a visit to a sanctuary. It was due to low blood pressure and a stomach bug.
In October 2019, he had a planned heart procedure. This was to check for calcium in his arteries.
In March 2020, he went into voluntary quarantine for 14 days. This was after a student group who visited him had a COVID-19 case. He later tested negative for the virus. He worked from home during part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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On January 11, 2021, he tested positive for COVID-19. He had no symptoms and isolated himself. Later tests were negative.
In December 2021, he had surgery for two hernias.
On July 5, 2023, he felt unwell during a visit to a university. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Doctors said it was likely due to the heat and his busy schedule. He was discharged a few hours later. He explained that he had low blood pressure because he skipped lunch. He also had a warm drink that might have upset his stomach.
Personal Life
On July 22, 1972, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa married Ana Cristina da Gama Caeiro da Mota Veiga. They had two children: Nuno and Sofia. The couple separated in 1980 and divorced in 1983. However, Marcelo, being Roman Catholic, believes marriage lasts until death.
Since 1981, he has been in a relationship with Rita Amaral Cabral. She was a former student and fellow lecturer. They live separately but continue their relationship.
Election Results
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has participated in several important elections.
Lisbon City Council Election, 1989
In 1989, he ran for Mayor of Lisbon. He received 154,888 votes, which was 42.1% of the total. He came in second place.
Social Democratic Party Leadership Election, 1996
In 1996, he was elected leader of the Social Democratic Party. He won with 603 votes, which was 66.4% of the votes.
Presidential Election, 2016
In the 2016 presidential election, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won in the first round. He received 2,413,956 votes, or 52.0% of the total.
Presidential Election, 2021
In the 2021 presidential election, he was re-elected. He received 2,531,692 votes, or 60.7% of the total.
Honours and Awards
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has received many awards and honours. These are from Portugal and other countries.
Portuguese Honours
- Military Order of the Tower and Sword: Grand Collar (March 9, 2021)
- Order of Saint James of the Sword: Commander (June 9, 1994)
- Order of Prince Henry: Grand Cross (June 9, 2005)
Foreign Honours
He has received top honours from countries like France, Italy, Spain, and Brazil. These awards recognize his important role as President.
See also
In Spanish: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa para niños
