Portugal: President of the Republic highlights the role of Mário Soares in the history of Cape Verde

José Maria Neves highlighted this aspect in statements to Inforpress and reiterated it today during his speech at the celebrations of the centenary of the former President and Prime Minister of Portugal, in Lisbon, which took place at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

“Mário Soares is an anti-fascist fighter, a lover of freedom, he fought tirelessly for democracy and development, for the modernization of Portugal”, stated the Cape Verdean Head of State.

When remembering Soares' role in the decolonization process, he highlighted that he was one of the negotiators of Cape Verde's independence, and signed with Pedro Pires the document that will be remembered on December 19, in Praia, arguing that “paying homage to Mário Soares is rescuing the nobility of politics and acting every day to achieve the common good”.

“He also worked to bring Cape Verde closer to Europe, being one of the leaders of the special partnership between Cape Verde and the European Union. It is important that, on behalf of the people of Cape Verde, I am here to pay tribute to this great figure in the political history of Portugal and, consequently, with repercussions for Cape Verde”, said the President of the Republic, also highlighting the importance of participating in the event on behalf of the Cape Verdean people.

In his speech, José Maria Neves, who was one of the speakers at the celebrations of Mário Soares' centenary, alongside his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, stressed that the honoree's path of anti-fascist struggle also had an anti-colonialist aspect, having developed an intense campaign of denunciation against the colonial war.

“I would like to highlight the various visits he made to our archipelago, with particular emphasis on his state visit, which took place shortly after his first election as President of the Portuguese Republic, and his participation in the Amílcar Cabral Symposium, held in 2004, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the historic leader of the independence of Guinea and Cape Verde”, he indicated, recalling that Mário Soares enthusiastically supported the process of transition to democracy in Cape Verde,

On the other hand, he highlighted the fact that, 50 years after the 25th of April, we are still witnessing an “erosion of the achievements made”, and today new challenges are being faced, in a disruptive environment, which in some cases borders on chaos, since, as in the past, it has not yet been possible to find “antidotes against extremists and, sometimes, they are playing into their hands”.

The ceremony also included moments for personal testimonies about Mário Soares' legacy, given by figures such as comedian Herman José, former President of the Spanish Government, Felipe González, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The programme for the centenary of the celebrations of Mário Soares started on Thursday, the 5th, in Porto, and ends in December 2025, also at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, with the holding of an international conference.

This Friday, the 6th, in Lisbon, the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic dedicated a solemn session to Mário Soares in a ceremony commemorating his political legacy.

Mário Soares (07/12/1924 – 07/01/2017) was Prime Minister of Portugal three times (1976/1978, 1978, 1983/1985) and Head of State between 1986 and 1996.

Inforpress/End