Pedro Santana Lopes
Pedro Miguel Santana Lopes? / I [ Pedru sɐntɐna lɔpɪʃ ] ( born June 29, 1956 in Lisbon ) is a Portuguese politician of the Partido Social Democrata (PSD ). From 2004 to 2005 he was Prime Minister.
Life
Santana Lopes is of completed lawyer at Lisbon University and studied for a year in Germany Political Science. He was already 24 years Member of the Portuguese Parliament, later Secretary of State and Minister of Culture, under Prime Minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva ( 1985-1995 ), and for two years of EU parliamentarians. After a failed attempt to become party chief, was Santana Lopes da elected in December 1997 with 60 percent of the mayor of the port city of Figueira da Foz. In December 2001, he surprisingly won the municipal elections of Lisbon and has been mayor of the capital.
Pedro Santana Lopes was on 17 July 2004 to March 12, 2005 Prime Minister of his country, after his predecessor José Manuel Durão Barroso was elected President of the European Commission. For the same reason Lopes was a few days earlier President of his party Partido Social Democrata (PSD ), which he has belonged since the end of the dictatorship in 1974. He was previously deputy in the party chairmanship and Barroso's " Crown Prince ", although the ratio was cooled lately.
However, President Jorge Sampaio dissolved Already in November 2004 ahead of the Parliament and wrote out early elections, which were carried out on 20 February 2005, during which the Partido Socialista (PS ) with their leader José Sócrates received an absolute majority. On 12 March 2005 Sócrates therefore assumed the office of prime minister.
The eloquent, sociable politician is a strong contrast to the slowly - minded Barroso, but not without controversy - even in his own party. He fell several times on populist statements and has a permanent presence in the tabloids because of his role as a womanizer of the jet set. 1995/1996 he was president of the football club Sporting Lisbon.
Awards
- 2004: Grand Gold Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria