2001 in Portugal explained

Events in the year 2001 in Portugal.

Incumbents

• President

Jorge Sampaio

• Prime Minister

António Guterres (Socialist)

Events

January to June

• 14 January  - Presidential election: Jorge Sampaio is re-elected for a second term as President after defeating his Social Democratic rival Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral. Having achieved more than half of all ballots cast in the first round, Sampaio's vote tally eliminates the need for a second run-off round. Turnout falls to approximately 50%, the lowest in a presidential election since Portugal's return to democracy in 1974.^[1]
• 29 January – Heavy rainfall causes flooding across northern and central Portugal, cutting off villages and forcing the closure of roads and railway lines. The inclement weather leads to the deaths of six people and the sinking of a cargo ship carrying fertiliser off the Portuguese coast, whose crew of five are rescued from the Atlantic Ocean.^[2]
• 4 March – The Hintze Ribeiro bridge near the town of Entre-os-Rios in the Porto District collapses into the Douro River below, killing 59 people.^[3] In response Prime Minister António Guterres orders an official inquiry into the incident and accepts the resignation of Jorge Coelho, the Public Works Minister. The government additionally declares two days of national mourning.^[4]
• 11 March – In motor racing, Finland's Tommi Mäkinen wins the 2001 Rally de Portugal.^[5]
• 24 March – Fourteen people are killed and a further 24 are injured when a tour bus crashes down a 100feet ravine after leaving the IP3 highway near Santa Comba Dao in the central Viseu District. In response local residents stage a protest over the safety of the road, an action which follows similar demonstrations held in the months preceding the crash.^[6]
• 7 April – The 2001 Globos de Ouro media awards ceremony is held at the Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon. Capitães de Abril wins the prize for Best Film and Vítor Norte (Tarde Demais) and Maria de Medeiros (Capitães de Abril) are awarded Best Actor and Best Actress respectively.^{[7] [8]}
• 18 May – In association football, Boavista F.C. win the 2000–01 Primeira Liga after a 3–0 victory over C.D. Aves. It is the club's maiden top-flight league championship title and marks the first time in more than five decades that the championship has been won by a team from outside the country's big three clubs of F.C. Porto, S.L. Benfica, and Sporting CP.^[9]

July to December

• 1 July – A new law decriminalising the use of all previously prohibited drugs, including cannabis and cocaine, comes into effect.^[10]
• 25 August – Eleven people are injured when Transat Flight 236 carrying 304 passengers from Toronto to Lisbon is forced to make an emergency landing at Lajes Airport in the Azores after a reported loss of power to all engines.^[11]
• 1 October – The legal blood alcohol limit for drivers is lowered from 0.5 to 0.2 milligrams per litre in a bid to reduce the number of road traffic accidents on Portugal's roads, which ranks as the highest in Europe. Fines imposed for speeding offences and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs are also increased.^[12]
• 13 December – The historic centre of the town of Guimarães is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[13]
• 16 December – Local elections: The Social Democratic Party wins control of 144 councils in what is seen as a comprehensive defeat for Prime Minister António Guterres' Socialist Party,^[14] which in defiance of pre-election polls loses in its traditional strongholds of Lisbon and Porto.^[15]
• 17 December – President Jorge Sampaio accepts the resignation of Prime Minister António Guterres following the Socialist Party's defeat in the local elections, opening the possibility of a general election in early 2002. Sampaio nevertheless does not rule out naming an interim Prime Minister until the election's planned date in October 2003.^[14]

Arts and entertainment

Films

See main article: List of Portuguese films of 2001.

• Ganhar a Vida (Get a Life) by João Canijo.^[16]
• Vou Para Casa (I'm Going Home) by Manoel de Oliveira.^[17]

Sports

Football (soccer) competitions: Primeira Liga, Liga de Honra

Births

• 27 March – Gustavo Ribeiro, skateboarder.^[18]

Deaths

• 31 July  - Francisco da Costa Gomes, military officer and politician, President of Portugal (1974–1976) (born 1914).^[19]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Portugal's president re-elected. CNN. Reuters. 14 January 2001. 5 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201117203645/https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/14/portugal.president.03/. 17 November 2020. live.
2. Web site: Six die in Portugal floods. CNN. Associated Press. 29 January 2001. 13 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20030329055155/https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/29/portugal.floods/index.html. 29 March 2003. dead.
3. Sousa. J.J.. Bastos. L.. 2013. Multi-temporal SAR interferometry reveals acceleration of bridgesinking before collapse. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 13. 659-667. 10.5194/nhess-13-659-2013. free.
4. Web site: Portugal bridge collapse 'kills 70'. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 March 2001. 5 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20080308175613/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1202214.stm. 8 March 2008. live.
5. Web site: Makinen pips Sainz in Portuguese thriller. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 11 March 2001. 6 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20021018032232/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2001/world_rally_2001/1214415.stm. 18 October 2002. live.
6. Web site: Packed tour bus crashes in Portugal, killing 14. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/packed-tour-bus-crashes-in-portugal-killing-14-5365342.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. The Independent. Associated Press. 25 March 2001. 13 August 2020.
7. Web site: Cinema Português 2001. pt. Instituto Camões. 12 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044524/http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/cinema/cronologia/cro103.html. 6 March 2019.
8. Web site: Todos os vencedores da história dos Globos de Ouro. pt. All the winners in the history of the Golden Globes. Caras. 19 May 2017. 12 August 2020.
9. Web site: 17ª Bundesliga para el Bayern. es. El Pais. Javier. García. 19 May 2001. 11 August 2020.
10. Web site: Lisbon takes drug use off the charge sheet. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Giles. Tremlett. 20 July 2001. 6 August 2020.
11. Web site: Canadian Jet, Engines Dead, Lands Safely In the Azores. The New York Times. Reuters. 25 August 2001. 5 August 2020.
12. Web site: Portugal reduce drásticamente la tasa de alcoholemia. es. El Pais. Javier. García. 30 September 2001. 11 August 2020.
13. Web site: UNESCO classifica centro histórico de Guimarães como Património Mundial. pt. Público. 13 December 2001. 11 August 2020. subscription.
14. Web site: Portugal's Guterres Resigns After a Local Election Rout. Wall Street Journal. Carlta. Vitzthum. 18 December 2001. 11 August 2020. subscription.
15. Web site: Portugal's PM quits as cities fall to rival. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Eduardo. Goncalves. 18 December 2001. 9 August 2020.
16. Web site: «Ganhar a Vida» em França para voltar à terra natal. pt. Público. Marta. Fernandes. 27 April 2001. 4 November 2021. subscription.
17. Web site: Manoel de Oliveira não pode ir para casa. pt. Público. Marta. Fernandes. 21 September 2001. 26 October 2021.
18. Web site: Gustavo Ribeiro: de prodígio a candidato a um pódio olímpico. pt. Gustavo Ribeiro: from prodigy to Olympic podium candidate. O Jogo. Paul. Capela Martins. 11 July 2021. 6 November 2021.
19. Web site: Francisco da Costa Gomes. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Antonio. de Figueiredo. 1 August 2001. 13 August 2020.