2005 in Portugal explained

Events in the year 2005 in Portugal.

Incumbents

• President

Jorge Sampaio

• Prime Minister

• • Pedro Santana Lopes (Social Democratic) (until 12 March)
  • José Sócrates (Socialist) (from 12 March)

Events

January to March

• 11 January – The government confirms that the Portuguese mission to Iraq, which has consisted of 120 police officers stationed in the southeastern city of Nasiriyah since November 2003, will end as planned on 12 February.^[1]
• 20 February  - Legislative election: The Socialist Party led by José Sócrates wins a majority of seats in the Assembly with 45.0% of the vote, the party's best ever result in a national election. The Social Democratic Party of outgoing Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes receives 28.8% of the vote, a drop of 11.5% from the previous election in 2002. Turnout increases to 63.6%, reversing a declining trend in voter participation observed since the election in 1980.^[2]
• 12 March – José Sócrates is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Portugal in a ceremony held at the Assembly of the Republic.^[3]

April to June

• 17 April – In motor racing, Brazil's Alex Barros wins the 2005 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix held at the Circuito do Estoril.^[4]
• 22 May – In association football, Benfica wins the 2004–05 Primeira Liga, the club's first league title for eleven years.^[5]
• 25 May – Prime Minister José Socrates introduces a series of tax rises designed to limit the country's expanding budget deficit, which this year is forecast to reach than double the accepted limit for Eurozone countries. Among the changes are higher levies on fuel and tobacco, an increase in the top rate of VAT from 19% to 21%, and a one-time income tax rise to those earning more than €60,000 per year.^[6]
• 29 May – In association football, Vitória de Setúbal defeats Benfica by a score of 2–1 to win the final of the Taça de Portugal. It the first time the club has won the tournament in 38 years.^[7]
• 6 June – With river levels falling amid the country's worst drought in 60 years, the government requests €6 million in compensation from Spain after accusing the Spanish authorities of over-extracting water from the Douro river upstream of Portuguese territory.^[8]
• 10 June – A mass group of approximately 500 youths clash with police on a beach in Carcavelos after earlier robbing beachgoers, causing injuries to five people.^[9]
• 17 June – Prime Minister José Socrates announces that a planned referendum on the proposed constitution for the European Union will be postponed from its scheduled October date. The decision comes after European leaders confirm that the deadline for the constitution's ratification will be delayed until 2007 at the earliest.^[10]

July to September

• 30 July – The final edition of the Comércio do Porto newspaper is published following sustained losses by owner Prensa Ibérica, ending more than 150 years of continuous publication dating back to 1854.^[11]
• 20 August – A wildfire ignites near the city of Coimbra, destroying 4179ha of forest and grassland. By 23 August the fire spreads to the outskirts of the city,^[12] forcing a small number of precautionary evacuations.^[13]

October to December

• 3 October – A solar eclipse visible over much of the country occurs, the first seen over Portuguese skies in the 21st century. The phenomena experienced varies across the country, with northern areas observing an annular eclipse and the rest of the nation as far south as Funchal witnessing a partial eclipse.^[14]
• 18 October – Police raid the homes of several key employees of the Banco Espirito Santo and the Banco Comercial Portugués as part of an investigation by state prosecutors into alleged tax evasion and money laundering. Estimates given by investigators suggest that the amount transferred by the suspects into tax havens to avoid VAT and income tax charges totals several million euros.^[15]
• 18 November – An explosion on an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrol outside the Afghan capital of Kabul kills one Portuguese soldier and injures three more. The fatality is named as Sergeant Joao Pereira, who becomes the 25th ISAF soldier to be killed in Afghanistan in 2005.^[16]
• 23 December – Five people are killed and 43 are injured after a bus carrying Italian tourists crashes in Sao Vicente in northern Madeira.^[17]
• 24 December – Culture minister Isabel Pires de Lima confirms that a collection of more than 4,000 artworks owned by businessman José Berardo will be publicly exhibited at the Belem Cultural Centre in Lisbon. The agreement between the government and Berardo comes after seven years of attempted negotiations, in which Berardo threatened to house the collection outside of Portugal.^[18]

Arts and entertainment

Music

• In music: Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005.

Film

• 27 January  - The Fifth Empire released.^[19]

Sports

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

Deaths

• 13 February  - Lúcia dos Santos, nun (born 1907).^[20]
• 11 June  - Vasco Gonçalves, military officer and politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (1974–75) (born 1921).^[21]
• 13 June:
  • Eugénio de Andrade, poet (born 1923).^[22]
  • Alvaro Cunhal, politician (born 1913).^[23]
• 16 June – Corino Andrade, neurologist (born 1906).^[24]
• 25 July – Maria do Couto Maia-Lopes, supercentenarian (born 1890).^[25]
• 18 October – Carlos Gomes, footballer (born 1932).^[26]
• 23 November – Isabel de Castro, actress (born 1931).^[27]

See also

• List of Portuguese films of 2005

Notes and References

1. Web site: Portuguese Police to Leave Iraq. Associated Press. 15 January 2005. 8 November 2021.
2. Freire. André. Costa Lobo. Marina. 2006. The Portuguese 2005 Legislative Election: Return to the Left. West European Politics. 29. 3. 581-588. 10.1080/01402380600620742.
3. Web site: Portugal PM signals over EU vote. BBC News. 12 March 2005. 7 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210125033731/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4343859.stm. 25 January 2021. live.
4. Web site: Barros takes victory in Portugal. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 17 April 2005. 4 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20050418112537/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/4454085.stm. 18 April 2005. live.
5. Web site: SL Benfica O campeonato 11 anos depois. pt. Público. Manuel. Assunção. 23 May 2005. 7 November 2021.
6. Web site: Briefly: Portugal tackles budget deficit. The New York Times. 26 May 2005. 11 November 2021.
7. Web site: Vitória de Setúbal pára o Benfica e conquista a Taça. pt. Público. Jorge Miguel. Matias. Marco. Vaza. 30 May 2005. 9 November 2021.
8. Web site: Spain and Portugal in water fight. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Giles. Tremlett. 7 June 2005. 9 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20130829060138/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jun/07/spain.gilestremlett. 29 August 2013. live.
9. Web site: Portugal youths in beach rampage. BBC News. 11 June 2005. 3 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20060113174444/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4083030.stm. 13 January 2006. live.
10. Web site: Portugal postpones EU treaty referendum. The Irish Times. 17 June 2005. 7 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211107110725/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/portugal-postpones-eu-treaty-referendum-1.1178817. 7 November 2021. live.
11. Web site: "O Comércio do Porto" cessa publicação com um "até à próxima". pt. "O Comércio do Porto" ends publication with a "see you next time". Público. Lusa News Agency. 30 July 2005. 7 November 2021.
12. Ferreira-Leite. Flora. Lourenço. Luciano. Bento-Gonçalves. António. 2013. Large forest fires in mainland Portugal, brief characterization. Mediterranée. 121. 53-66. 10.4000/mediterranee.6863.
13. Web site: Toll grows as fires sweep Portugal. CNN. Al. Goodman. 24 August 2005. 1 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20060502022330/http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/08/23/portugal.fires/index.html. 2 May 2006. live.
14. Web site: O primeiro eclipse solar do século em Portugal é hoje. Portuguese. Público. Max. Ferreira. 3 October 2005. 1 June 2020.
15. Web site: Portugal investiga a dos grandes bancos por blanqueo de capitales. es. Portugal investigates two large banks for money laundering. El País. Miguel. Mora. 19 October 2005. 7 December 2021.
16. Web site: Afghan blast kills Portuguese peacekeeper. NBC News. Associated Press. 18 November 2005. 25 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20211108163428/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna10097088. 8 November 2021. live.
17. Web site: 5 killed in bus crash on Madeira. CNN. Stephanie. Halasz. 23 December 2005. 2 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20211107111010/https://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/12/23/portugal.bus/. 7 November 2021. live.
18. Web site: Portugal to display tycoon’s art. Al Jazeera. 24 December 2005. 7 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029175155/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/12/24/portugal-to-display-tycoons-art/. 29 October 2020. live.
19. Web site: O Quinto Império - Ontem Como Hoje . IMDb. 21 January 2016.
20. Web site: Sister Lucia, 97, Last Survivor of Visionary Children of Fátima, Dies. The New York Times. Christopher. Lehmann-Haupt. 16 February 2005. 1 June 2020.
21. Web site: General Vasco Goncalves. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Dale. Fuchs. 13 June 2005. 3 June 2020.
22. Web site: Eugénio de Andrade: despedida à entrada do Verão . Portuguese. Público. Alexandra. Lucas Coelho. 14 June 2005. 27 March 2022.
23. Web site: Alvaro Cunhal. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Michael. Mullan. 14 June 2005. 5 June 2020.
24. de Mota Gomes. Marleide. 2005. MÁRIO CORINO DA COSTA ANDRADE (10.06.1906 A 16.06.2005). Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria. 63. 4. 1113-1114. PDF. 7 June 2020.
25. Web site: Maria do Couto Maia. Portuguese. Jornal de Notícias. 26 July 2005. 1 June 2020.
26. Web site: Faleceu Carlos Gomes. Portuguese. Correio da Manhã. 18 October 2005. 4 June 2020.
27. Web site: Isabel de Castro (1931-2005): o fim da inocência . Portuguese. Público. Kathleen. Gomes. 24 November 2005. 31 March 2022.