Biography
The life of Mário Soares was a permanent struggle for freedom and a ceaseless fight for democracy. These efforts were inseparable from the defence of human rights, peace and solidarity among all peoples, as well as from social and economic progress and the respect for the environment and ecology.
A fighter against dictatorship
A major personality of Portuguese democracy, Mário Soares was born in Lisbon, on the 7 December 1924, hailing from a Republican-Liberal family. His father was João Lopes Soares and his mother Maria Elisa Nobre Baptista. He took a degree in Historical-Philosophical Sciences in 1951 and a Law degree in 1957. On the 22 February 1949, he married Maria de Jesus Barroso (1925-2015) by proxy, as he was imprisoned in the Aljube prison. The couple had two children: João (born 1949) and Isabel (born 1951).
Having been shaped by a liberal, republican and democratic civic education, Soares soon became engaged in political struggle against dictatorship. At the university, he joined the Anti-Fascist National Unity Movement (MUNAF), in 1943, and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), in 1944. Member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Unity Movement (MUD), he ranked among the founders of its junior branch (MUD Juvenil).
He authored and signed important documents against the the Portuguese dictatorship (“Estado Novo”). As representative of the Republican Resistance, he was a member of the Democratic-Social Directory, headed by Republican personalities such as António Sérgio, Jaime Cortesão and Mário de Azevedo Gomes. He was actively involved in the candidacies of General Norton de Matos and General Humberto Delgado to the Presidency of the Republic, two decisive moments that shook the regime.
"Portugal must be saved from the degradation of dictatorship. And that task can only be done by the Portuguese themselves. We have to free ourselves from the infernal cycle of misery, fear and oppression in which we have allowed ourselves to be confined for so long."
As lawyer of the family of Humberto Delgado, he decisively contributed to clarify the circumstances of his assassination and expose the responsibilities of the political police (PIDE) in that crime.
Mário Soares took the first steps in vitalising democratic socialism in Portugal, as a current of the opposition against Estado Novo. In April 1964, he helped to set up the Portuguese Socialist Action (ASP), which would be formally admitted as member of Socialist International in June 1972. He was a candidate to the National Parliament in the lists of the Democratic Opposition, in 1965, and of the Electoral Committee for Democratic Unity (CEUD), in 1969.
Taking an anti-colonialist stand, Mário Soares developed an active campaign to expose Portugal’s political regime, namely against the Colonial War, enduring the dire consequences of his courage. Consequently, he was arrested twelve times and later deported to São Tomé (1968) and exiled to France (1970).
In his exile, he finished writing his most celebrated book, Portugal's Struggle for Liberty: its first edition was published in French, in 1972, and forbidden in Portugal. During that period, he became acquainted with key personalities of Europe’s social-democracy and many African nationalist leaders, thus setting up a network of international contacts and consolidating an idea for Portugal, which he disseminated through interviews and articles published in the international press.
In 1973, at the German city of Bad Münstereifel, he founded the Socialist Party (PS), by converting the ASP, and was elected Secretary-General, keeping this office for almost thirteen years.
The Face of Democratic Portugal
Mário Soares was the first exiled politician to arrive to Portugal after the dictatorship was overthrown, on the 28 April 1974. A past pathway of struggle and opposition to the dictatorship preceded him. A decisive role in the transition and establishment of Portuguese democracy awaited him.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs (1974-75), he developed an intense diplomatic activity leading to the international recognition of Portugal’s new political reality. He helped to open the nation to the outside world, after decades of isolation, choosing as top priority to begin the de-colonisation process and the independence of overseas territories.
During the revolutionary process (1974-75), Mário Soares became the key face of democracy. He stood for the establishment of a Western type of pluralist representative democratic regime and soon became the main civil leader and the most renowned Portuguese politician abroad. In 1975, he became an elected member of parliament following the first free elections, by direct universal suffrage, ever held in Portugal, for the Constitutional Parliament. He fought against single unionism and famously defended the freedom of press. One year later, in April 1976, he voted Portugal’s democratic Constitution. Also in 1976, he was elected Vice-President of Socialist International, keeping his office for ten years, during which he organised missions to the Middle East, Latin America and Southern Africa.
"If there is a democratic deficit, let's demand more democracy at the level of the institutions, and a deeper participation of citizens. Let's avoid fatalism, disbelief and desertion. Let's shake it all off. Let's have the courage to assume our responsibilities within our limited sphere of action. With courage. The most important word in politics today."
A staunch Europeanist, Mário Soares always considered the integration of Portugal into the European project a national purpose and an indispensable requirement for building a truly free, open and modern nation. He served as Prime-Minister of three constitutional governments (1976-1977; 1978; 1983-1985), which took decisive steps to consolidate democracy and build the Social State. Mário Soares conducted the process leading to Portugal’s accession to the European Communities, beginning in March 1977, with the submittal of the formal application for membership of the EEC, and ending seven years later, in June 1985, with the signature of the Accession Treaty.
In March 1986, he became the first civilian to be elected, by direct universal suffrage, as President of the Republic, developing his project of future and modernity for the nation. He remained Head of State for two terms of office (1986-1996) and adopted a new style of presidency, i.e., close to the citizens, considering the reality and problems of the population, travelling the country during his “open presidencies” and exercising his “magistrature of influence”. As a result, he was unanimously recognised as “the president of all Portuguese”.
After his second presidential mandate, Mário Soares remained politically, socially and culturally engaged. In 1996, he became chairman of the Foundation named after him, gathering important archives and collections on contemporary history and doing significant work in the field of international co-operation. In Portugal, special reference should be made to his presidency of the National Committee for the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1998) and of the Committee on Religious Freedom (2007-2011). In 1999, with the motivation to participate in the reform of the European project, he headed the list of Socialist Party candidates to the European elections, serving one mandate as member of the European Parliament(1999-2004). In 2006, he was again a candidate to the Presidency of the Republic and lost the election.
Citizen of the World
Due to his long political pathway, built during more than thirty-two years of relentless resistance to dictatorship, and the vision and performance evidenced in the political and government offices held after the 25th of April, Mário Soares’ voice was listened to world-wide.
Among many other offices, he was chairman of the Independent World Commission on the Oceans (1995-1998), of the Committee for the World Water Contract (1997), the European Movement (1997-1999), the Committee of Wise Persons of the Council of Europe (1997-1998) and, since 2009, the Patron of the International Ocean Institute. His international recognition and prestige led the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint him for a fact-finding mission on the situation in Algeria, in 1998, and later, in 2002, to lead the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Israel.
Throughout his life, he received countless awards, decorations and honorary doctorates received from many institutions world-wide.
In his last years, he remained tirelessly engaged in many initiatives and activities, evidencing a unique political and cultural influence. He was frequently asked to address international conferences and colloquiums and continued to write about, reflect on and discuss the main topics of national and international affairs. He kept on defending, in public, the values he treasured.
He died in Lisbon, on the 7 January 2017, 92 years old, leaving a vast published work on Portugal, Europe and the World, covering their key personalities, events and problematics.