2016 in Portugal explained

The following lists events during 2016 in Portugal.

Incumbents

• President

• • Aníbal Cavaco Silva (until 9 March)
  • Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (from 9 March)
• Prime Minister

António Costa (Socialist)

Events

January to March

• 24 January – Presidential election: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is elected as President after securing 52.4% of the vote in the first round, a majority that removes the need for a second round. Turnout rises slightly from the last election to 49%.^[1]
• 27 January – The National Health Institute confirms that there are five positive cases of the Zika virus in Portugal. Described as "mild" with no need for hospitalisation, each case was imported from Brazil where an outbreak of the virus has been reported.^[2]
• 10 February – President Anibal Cavaco Silva's veto against a measure allowing same-sex couples to adopt is overridden by MPs in the Assembly of the Republic. The measure, which was passed by MPs in November 2014, will be signed into law within eight days as per the constitution.^[3]
• 12–14 February – Severe weather across areas of northern and central Portugal leads to flooding which claims the life of one person in the town of Albergaria-a-Velha in the Aveiro District. Transport links are also affected as the Águeda, Mondego, and Vouga rivers burst their banks and localised landslides and damage to trees occur.^[4]
• 16 February – Figures from the Instituto Nacional de Estatística reveals that the number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal in 2015 topped 10 million for the first time, a rise of 10% over 2014. The number of domestic tourists also grew by more than 7%, contributing to a growth of more than 13% in the hospitality industry for the year. The travel and tourism sector is worth approximately 10% of Portugal's gross domestic product.^[5]
• 9 March – Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is sworn in as the 20th President of Portugal.^[6]

April to June

• 4 May – Infraestruturas de Portugal states it plans to press charges against a 24-year-old man who dislodged and damaged a 126-year old statue of King Sebastian at Lisbon's Rossio railway station after climbing upon it to take a selfie photograph.^[7]
• 5 May – Figures released by Eurostat show that national emissions of carbon dioxide rose by 8.6% in 2015, the second highest increase among European Union (EU) member states. As a signatory to the 2015 Paris Climate Accords, the EU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of anthropogenic climate change.^[8]
• 7 May – The Marão Tunnel in the Vila Real District is officially opened by Prime Minister António Costa. Constructed at a cost of €137 million and delayed from its planned opening date of 2012 due to various financial and legal obstacles, the 5.7km (03.5miles) tunnel is the longest of its kind on the Iberian peninsula.^[9]
• 15 May – In association football, S.L. Benfica win the 2015–16 Primeira Liga after a 4–1 victory over C.D. Nacional, finishing two points clear of title rivals Sporting CP to claim the club's 35th championship title.^[10]
• 22 May:
  • In motor racing, Great Britain's Kris Meeke wins the 2016 Rally de Portugal.^[11]
  • In association football, Sporting Braga defeat F.C. Porto in a penalty shoot-out to win the 2015–16 Taça de Portugal for the first time in fifty years.^[12]
• 24 May – Frederico Carvalhão, a spy for the Portugal's intelligence service, is arrested in Rome after being accused of sharing classified information about NATO and the European Union with a Russian intelligence officer.^[13]
• 7 June – The longest case of womb survival in a brain dead mother in Portugal is recorded after the birth of a boy in Lisbon's São José Hospital to a woman whose brain activity ceased on 20 February.^[14]

July to September

• 10 July – In association football, the Portuguese national team defeat France by a score 1–0 in the final of UEFA Euro 2016 to win the country's first major international football competition.^[15]
• 5–11 August – A series of wildfires break out across Madeira and the Portuguese mainland after a spell of temperatures above 35°C.^[16] On 10 August the National Authority for Civil Protection announces that more than 4,000 emergency workers were attending 176 active fires across Portuguese territory, one of which was threatening the Madeiran capital of Funchal. The day also sees the confirmation of four deaths with three in Madeira and one on the mainland.^[16] On 11 August The New York Times reports that approximately 150 homes in Funchal have been destroyed by fire, forcing the evacuation of at least 1,000 people to temporary shelter.^[17]
• 5–21 August – Portugal competes in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with 92 athletes contesting in 16 sports.^[18] Telma Monteiro wins the country's sole medal with bronze in the women's 57 kg judo.^[19]
• 7 August – In cycling, Rui Vinhas wins the 2016 Volta a Portugal in a time of 40 hours, 56 minutes, and 57 seconds. He is the first Portuguese victor of the event since 2011.^[20]
• 9 August – The European Union declines to financially penalise the Portuguese government for failing to abide by national deficit limits in 2015, citing "exceptional circumstances".^[21] The government is given until the end of the year to bring its deficit down from 4.4% of gross domestic product to 2.5%.^[21]
• 23 August – The government and the European Commission agree in principle to a €2.7 billion injection of cash for the struggling Caixa Geral de Depositos bank, which reported a loss of more than €200 million in the first six months of the year.^[22]
• 27 September – Prime Minister António Costa announces that a series of artworks by Spanish painter Joan Miró under public ownership will remain in the country after plans to sell the collection in 2014 were shelved due to public criticism.^[23]

October to December

• 14 October:
  • Former Prime Minister António Guterres is appointed the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He will formally take office and succeed the incumbent Ban Ki-moon on 1 January 2017.^[24]
  • The government unveils a bill to introduce a sugar tax on carbonated beverages in 2017, with drinks exceeding 80g of sugar per litre levied at €16.46 per 100 litres. The move is predicted to raise €80m for the National Health Service.^[25]
• 16 October – Azorean regional election: The Socialist Party maintains its majority in the Legislative Assembly, albeit with one fewer seat and a smaller share of the popular vote, with the opposition Social Democrats also losing one seat in the face of gains by the CDS – People's Party and the Left Bloc. Turnout falls to 40.9%, the lowest ever recorded in the region.^[26]
• 8 November – Twenty members of a Neo-Nazi group are arrested by police across the country on charges including attempted murder and theft carried out between 2013 and 2015.^[27]

Deaths

January to March

• 18 January  - António de Almeida Santos, lawyer and politician (born 1926).^[28]
• 26 January  -, actor (born 1964).^[29]
• 23 February – Jaime Ornelas Camacho, politician, President of the Regional Government of Madeira (1976–1978) (born 1921).^[30]
• 24 February  - Ernesto Oliveira, footballer (born 1921).^[31]
• 29 February – Ana Vieira, artist (born 1940).^[32]
• 2 March – Noémia Delgado, television and film director (born 1933).^[33]
• 11 March – Vasco Nunes, cinematographer (born 1974).^[34]
• 14 March  - Nicolau Breyner, actor (born 1940).^[35]
• 31 March  - Fernando Mendes, footballer (born 1937).^[36]

April to June

• 12 April – Francisco Nicholson, actor and screenwriter (born 1938).^[37]
• 28 May  -, fado singer (born 1928).^[38]

July to September

• 2 July  -, actor (born 1924).^[39]
• 25 July  - Artur Correia, footballer (born 1950).^[40]
• 31 July – Mário Moniz Pereira, athletic coach (born 1921).^[41]
• 25 August  - Maria Eugénia, actress (born 1927).^[42]
• 31 August  -, actress (born 1929).^[43]
• 3 September – Maria Isabel Barreno, writer (born 1939).^[44]
• 7 September – António Barbosa de Melo, politician, President of the Assembly of the Republic (1991–1995) (born 1932).^[45]
• 12 September – Arquimínio Rodrigues da Costa, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Macau (1976–1988) (born 1924).^[46]

October to December

• 3 October  - Mário Wilson, footballer (b. 1929).^[47]
• 14 October  - José Lello, politician (b. 1944).^[48]
• 27 October  - João Lobo Antunes, neurosurgeon (b. 1944).^[49]
• 27 October  -, radio broadcaster (b. 1947).^[50]
• 11 November  - Alfredo Bruto da Costa, politician (b. 1938).^[51]
• 27 November  -, actor (b. 1937)
• 10 December  - Alberto Seixas Santos, film director (b. 1936).^[52]
• 11 December  -, actor (b. 1944).^[53]
• 22 December  -, politician (b. 1928)
• 25 December  -, politician (b. 1938).^[54]

See also

• List of Portuguese films of 2016

Notes and References

1. Web site: Portugal elects Rebelo de Sousa as president. Politico. Vince. Chadwick. 24 January 2016. 23 July 2020.
2. Web site: Portugal has five mild cases of Zika virus, all after Brazil trips. Reuters. Andrei. Khalip. Tom Heneghan. 27 January 2016. 25 August 2020.
3. Web site: Portugal parliament overturns veto against adoption by gay couples. Reuters. Andrei. Khalip. Katharine Houreld. 10 February 2016. 24 August 2020.
4. Web site: One dead in Portugal floods as cyclist swept away. Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. 14 February 2016. 22 August 2021.
5. Web site: Overseas tourists visiting Portugal hit record in 2015. Reuters. Andrei. Khalip. Alexander Smith. 16 February 2016. 22 August 2021.
6. Web site: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa já é o novo Presidente da República. pt. Jornal de Negócios. Paulo Zacarias. Gomes. 9 March 2016. 23 July 2020.
7. Web site: Selfie snapper who destroyed historic statue may face criminal charges. CNN Travel. Vasco. Cotovio. Chuck. Thompson. 12 May 2016. 26 August 2020.
8. Web site: Portugal's increase in CO2 emissions second biggest in EU. The Portugal News. Lusa News Agency. 5 May 2016. 26 August 2020.
9. Web site: Abre-se o túnel do Marão, quebra-se a "barreira psicológica". pt. Público. Samuel. Silva. 6 May 2016. 2 September 2020.
10. Web site: Benfica pip Sporting to Primeira Liga crown. Diario AS. Agence France-Presse. 15 May 2016. 6 February 2021.
11. Web site: Citroen's Kris Meeke clinches second WRC victory on Rally Portugal. Autosport. 22 May 2016. 24 August 2020.
12. Web site: Braga vence a Taça de Portugal. Portuguese. Jornal de Notícias. Rui. Farinha. Sandra. Alves. 22 May 2016. 10 February 2021.
13. Web site: Portuguese spy caught passing 'Nato secrets' to Russian handler in Rome. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. James. Badcock. 24 May 2016. 26 August 2020.
14. Web site: Baby born to mother brain dead for four months in Portugal. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/baby-born-to-mother-brain-dead-for-four-months-in-portugal-a7071551.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. The Independent. Alexandra. Sims. 8 June 2016. 31 August 2020.
15. Web site: Portugal 1 France 0, Euro 2016 final: Underdogs recover from Ronaldo injury as Eder wins it in extra-time. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Jason. Burt. 11 July 2016. 30 August 2020.
16. Web site: Madeira wildfires: Three dead as flames reach Funchal. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 August 2016. 26 August 2020.
17. Web site: Deadly Wildfires on Portuguese Island of Madeira Reach Its Largest City. The New York Times. Raphael. Minder. 11 August 2016. 25 August 2020.
18. Web site: Quem são os atletas portugueses que vão estar no Rio 2016?. pt. Público. Tiago. Pimentel. 31 July 2016. 26 August 2020.
19. Web site: Faltaram as medalhas, sobraram os diplomas. pt. Público. Marco. Vaza. Tiago. Pimentel. 22 August 2016. 26 August 2020.
20. Web site: Portista Rui Vinhas é o vencedor da 78.ª edição da Volta. pt. Diário de Notícias. Lusa News Agency. 7 August 2016. 28 August 2020.
21. Web site: EU waives budget deficit fines for Spain and Portugal. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 9 August 2016. 31 August 2020.
22. Web site: EU, Portugal agree on 5 billion euro recapitalization for ailing bank CGD. Reuters. Andrei. Khalip. Robert-Jan. Bartunek. Mark Potter. David Evans. 24 August 2016. 31 August 2020.
23. Web site: Portuguese government decides to keep 85 paintings by Joan Miró . The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 27 September 2016. 29 August 2020.
24. Web site: Portugal's António Guterres elected UN secretary-general. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 October 2016. 1 September 2020.
25. Web site: Portugal to levy sugar tax on soft drinks in 2017. The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 15 October 2016. 2 September 2020.
26. Web site: Açores: PS confirma nova maioria absoluta mas perde um deputado. Portuguese. TVI24. Paulo. Delgado. 16 October 2016. 10 February 2021.
27. Web site: Portugal anti-terror police arrest 20 neo-Nazis over hate crimes. Reuters. Andrei. Khalip. Catherine Evans. 8 November 2016. 2 September 2020.
28. Web site: Morreu António Almeida Santos. pt. Observador. Diogo. Queiroz de Andrade. Liliana. Valente. 19 January 2016. 1 September 2020.
29. Web site: Morreu o ator José Boavida. Comunista, benfiquista e 'bon vivant'. pt. Observador. Bruno. Horta. Ana. Pimentel. 26 January 2016. 1 September 2020.
30. Web site: Faleceu Ornelas Camacho. pt. Diário de Notícias. 24 February 2016. 4 September 2020. 26 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180626164102/http://www.dnoticias.pt/hemeroteca/570624-faleceu-ornelas-camacho-AIDN570624. dead.
31. Web site: Faleceu uma lenda.... pt. Atlético Clube de Portugal. 24 February 2016. 1 December 2016. 22 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161022220149/http://www.atleticocp.pt/site/futebol/faleceu-uma-lenda/. dead.
32. Web site: Morreu a artista plástica Ana Vieira. pt. Jornal de Notícias. 29 February 2016. 4 September 2020.
33. Web site: Morreu Noémia Delgado, a cineasta de Máscaras. pt. Público. Luis Miguel. Queirós. 2 March 2016. 5 September 2020.
34. Web site: Vasco Nunes (1974-2016). pt. Correio da Manhã. 12 March 2016. 5 September 2020.
35. Web site: Morreu o ator Nicolau Breyner, o "Sr. Contente". pt. Diário de Notícias. 14 March 2016. 5 September 2020.
36. Web site: Capitão habituado ao sacrifício e treinador com espírito de missão . pt. Público. Marco. Vaza. 31 March 2016. 6 September 2020.
37. Web site: Morreu o actor Francisco Nicholson. Portuguese. Jornal de Negocios. 12 April 2016. 25 February 2021.
38. Web site: Morreu o fadista Vicente da Câmara. pt. Público. Alexandra. Prado Coelho. 28 May 2016. 1 September 2020.
39. Web site: Camilo de Oliveira 1924 - 2016. "Gostava que se recordassem de mim". pt. Diário de Notícias. Lusa News Agency. 3 July 2016. 9 September 2020.
40. Web site: Former Portugal defender Artur Correia passes away. UEFA. 25 July 2016. 10 September 2020.
41. Web site: Moniz Pereira (1921-2016), o homem que fez Portugal acreditar em "coisas impossíveis". Portuguese. Público. Tiago. Pimentel. 31 July 2016. 25 February 2021.
42. Web site: Morreu a "menina da rádio". pt. Público. Luis Miguel. Queirós. 25 August 2016. 7 September 2020.
43. Web site: Morreu a atriz Anna Paula. Portuguese. Expresso. Lusa News Agency. 31 August 2016. 9 February 2021.
44. Web site: Morreu Maria Isabel Barreno, voz singular da igualdade. Portuguese. Expresso. João Miguel. Salvador. Katya. Delimbeuf. Manuela. Goucha Soares. 3 September 2016. 26 February 2021.
45. Web site: Morreu Barbosa de Melo, antigo presidente da Assembleia da República. Portuguese. Diário de Notícias. 7 September 2016. 25 February 2021.
46. Web site: Morreu Arquimínio Rodrigues da Costa, último bispo português de Macau. Portuguese. Público. Lusa News Agency. 13 September 2016. 26 February 2021.
47. Web site: Morreu Mário Wilson. Portuguese. Jornal de Notícias. Miguel. Pataco. 3 October 2016. 9 February 2021.
48. Web site: Obituário. O polémico José Lello que cantava Sinatra. Portuguese. Observador. Pedro. Raínho. 14 October 2016. 8 February 2021.
49. Web site: Morreu João Lobo Antunes. pt. Expresso. Lusa News Agency. 27 October 2016. 29 October 2020.
50. Web site: Jaime Fernandes, o senhor da voz (1947-2016). pt. Sabado. Dulce. Neto. 29 November 2016. 29 October 2020.
51. Web site: Morreu Bruto da Costa, o político para quem se devia dar aos pobres o peixe e a cana. pt. Público. Ana Cristina. Pereira. Maria. João Lopez. 11 November 2016. 1 December 2016.
52. Web site: Morreu o realizador Alberto Seixas Santos, ideólogo do Cinema Novo. pt. Público. Isabel. Salema. 10 December 2016. 26 October 2020.
53. Web site: Morreu o ator Manuel Bola. pt. Jornal de Notícias. 11 December 2016. 25 October 2020.
54. Web site: Morreu José Silva Marques, ex-líder parlamentar do PSD. pt. Diário de Notícias. Lusa News Agency. 26 December 2016. 25 October 2020.