Jorge Sampaio, former president of Portugal, dies at 81

LISBON – Jorge Sampaio, a erstwhile two-term president of Portugal and 1 of the astir salient governmental figures of his generation, has died. He was 81.

The existent Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, announced Sampaio’s decease connected Friday. He did not springiness a origin of death, though Sampaio had been successful delicate wellness for respective years and had been successful infirmary for the past 2 weeks.

Sampaio “prepared himself to beryllium a fighter, and the banners of his combat were state and equality,” Rebelo de Sousa said successful a televised statement.

He said Sampaio was similar “a red-haired hurricane” successful the 1960s erstwhile arsenic a young lawyer helium stood up to Portugal's then-dictatorship.

But implicit his six-decade governmental vocation successful Portugal arsenic a center-left Socialist and aboriginal arsenic a diplomat for the United Nations, Sampaio earned praise for his low-key, down-to-earth manner. He erstwhile said helium had ever wanted to go an orchestra conductor.

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At home, Sampaio was possibly champion remembered for controversially bringing down a center-right authorities successful 2004, erstwhile helium was caput of state.

That was erstwhile Social Democratic Party person José Manuel Barroso discontinue arsenic premier curate to go president of the European Commission. He was replaced by his party’s vice president, Pedro Santana Lopes.

After respective months of authorities in-fighting, nationalist gaffes and contradictions, Sampaio called aboriginal elections to extremity what helium called “a sedate situation of credibility and instability.”

The consequent predetermination delivered a landslide triumph to the center-left Socialist Party, which Sampaio had erstwhile headed.

Sampaio began his governmental vocation portion studying instrumentality astatine Lisbon University successful the precocious 1950s, rising done the ranks of underground pupil movements which opposed the past dictatorship of António Salazar.

After graduating, helium defended prisoners tried by peculiar courts that dealt exclusively with governmental cases.

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He associated with utmost leftist movements aft the 1974 Carnation Revolution toppled the dictatorship and introduced democracy.

He took up his archetypal authorities post, arsenic caput of authorities for overseas cooperation, successful 1975. He was fluent successful English, having lived for a twelvemonth successful the United States erstwhile helium was 8 arsenic his father, a renowned Portuguese doctor, went to survey astatine Johns Hopkins University successful Baltimore, Pa..

Sampaio, whose parent was an English teacher, besides spent clip successful England arsenic a youngster.

He switched his allegiance to the mainstream Socialist Party successful 1978 and from the pursuing twelvemonth was returned 5 times to parliament arsenic a Socialist lawmaker.

Sampaio ran successfully for politician of Lisbon, the capital, successful 1979, and 10 years aboriginal became person of the Socialist Party.

His two-term stint arsenic politician of the Portuguese superior provided a signifier for his predetermination arsenic president successful 1996 and his re-election successful 2006, winning some elections by comfy margins.

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United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Sampaio arsenic his peculiar envoy connected tuberculosis successful 2006. The pursuing year, Annan’s successor Ban Ki-moon made him the U.N. High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations.

Sampaio is survived by his wife, a girl and a son.

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