Fernando Nogueira Explained

Fernando Nogueira
Office1:President of the Social Democratic Party
Term Start1:19 February 1995
Term End1:31 March 1996
1Namedata1:Eduardo Azevedo Soares
Predecessor1:Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Successor1:Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Office2:Minister of National Defence
Term Start2:5 March 1990
Term End2:16 March 1995
Primeminister2:Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Predecessor2:Carlos Brito
Successor2:António Figueiredo Lopes
Office3:Minister of the Presidency
Term Start3:17 August 1987
Term End3:16 March 1995
Primeminister3:Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Predecessor3:Pedro Teotónio Pereira (1961)
Successor3:António Vitorino
Office4:Minister of Justice
Term Start4:17 August 1987
Term End4:5 March 1990
Primeminister4:Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Predecessor4:Mário Raposo
Successor4:Álvaro Laborinho Lúcio
Office5:Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
Term Start5:6 November 1985
Term End5:17 August 1987
Primeminister5:Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Predecessor5:António de Almeida Santos
Successor5:António Capucho
Office6:Secretary of State for Regional Development
Term Start6:18 June 1983
Term End6:6 November 1985
Primeminister6:Mário Soares
Predecessor6:Roberto Carneiro
(Regional and Local Administration)
Successor6:José Silva Peneda
(Planning and Regional Development)
Office7:Member of the Assembly of the Republic
Elections: 1985, 1987, 1991, 1995
Term Start7:4 November 1991
Term End7:24 October 1999
Constituency7:Porto
Term Start8:4 November 1985
Term End8:3 November 1991
Constituency8:Coimbra
Birth Date:26 March 1950
Birth Place:Matosinhos, Portugal
Party:Social Democratic Party
Alma Mater:University of Coimbra

Joaquim Fernando Nogueira (born 26 March 1950), commonly known just as Fernando Nogueira, is a Portuguese lawyer and former politician.

Life before politics

Fernando Nogueira was born in Matosinhos in 26 March 1950. He graduated in Law from the University of Coimbra in 1974, becoming a lawyer shortly after. He also taught at the same university.

Political career

Fernando Nogueira was first elected for the Assembly of the Republic in 1985.[1] Before that he was Secretary of State for Regional Development in the Central Bloc government led by Mário Soares. After the Social Democratic Party victory in 1985, Aníbal Cavaco Silva became Prime Minister, and Nogueira was nominated Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, initiating a career as top government minister that would span for a decade.

After the 1987 legislative election, in which his party won a majority (the first majority of a single party after the Carnation Revolution), Fernando Nogueira became Minister of Justice and Minister of Presidency, a position frequently created in many Portuguese cabinets which is responsible for the political coordination of the government. After a cabinet reshuffle in 1990, Nogueira moved to the Ministry of National Defense, continuing as Minister of Presidency. He retained both posts after the 1991 legislative election, in which the Social Democratic Party renewed its majority.

Fernando Nogueira was elected President of the Social Democratic Party on 17 February 1995,[2] after Aníbal Cavaco Silva decided to step down after ten years as party leader (and Prime Minister) in order to run for the 1996 presidential election. By then he had been widely regarded for a long time as Cavaco's political heir, and won the party congress by 33 votes against Durão Barroso. Nogueira resigned all government posts in March 1995 and led the party into the 1995 legislative election, performing well in the television debates against the Socialist Party leader António Guterres. However, the electorate was tired of the Social Democrats and the Socialist Party won the election, with Guterres becoming Prime Minister. Fernando Nogueira became Leader of the Opposition, which in Portugal is an informal position which doesn't carry the same privileges and responsibilities as in other countries such as the United Kingdom.

Only months after this defeat, the party suffered another electoral loss, with Aníbal Cavaco Silva being defeated by Jorge Sampaio in the presidential election. These defeats prompted Nogueira to resign party leadership, being succeeded by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the subsequent party congress.[3] This resignation de facto ended his political career, although he retained his parliamentary seat until the 1999 legislative election.

Current position and activities after leaving politics

After stepping down from parliament, Fernando Nogueira withdrew from active party politics and generally kept a very low profile ever since, although he continues to be a member of the Social Democratic Party.

Since 2012 he is President of Fundação Millennium BCP, a part of the bank responsible for supporting and financing cultural and artistic projects.

In June 2015 his name briefly returned to media spotlight after the leader of the Social Democratic Party and then Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, said Nogueira was his preferred candidate for the 2016 presidential election. Nogueira rapidly issued a statement stressing he was "absolutely unavailable" to return to active politics.[4] Shortly before the 2015 legislative election he briefly reappeared again, making a video which was exhibited in a campaign rally and in which he voiced support for Pedro Passos Coelho and the alliance Portugal Ahead.[5] The alliance won a plurality in the election and was invited to form a new government, which ended toppled by a motion of no confidence supported by a left-wing coalition.

Electoral history

PSD leadership election, 1995

|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"! align="center" colspan=2 style="width: 60px"|Candidate! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Votes! align="center" style="width: 50px"|%|-|bgcolor=orange|| align=left | Fernando Nogueira| align=right | 532| align=right | 51.6|-|bgcolor=orange|| align=left | José Manuel Durão Barroso| align=right | 499| align=right | 48.4|-|bgcolor=orange|| align=left | Pedro Santana Lopes| colspan="2" align=center| withdrew|-|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"| colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | Turnout| align=right | 1,031| align=center | |-| colspan="4" align=left|Source: Resultados[6] [7] |}

Legislative election, 1995

See main article: 1995 Portuguese legislative election. |-! colspan="2" | Party! Candidate! Votes! align="center" style="width: 50px"|%! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Seats! align="center" style="width: 50px"|+/−|-| style="background:;"|| align="left"|PS| align=left |António Guterres || 2,583,755 || 43.8 || 112 || style="color:green;"| +40|-| style="background:;"|| align="left"|PSD| align=left |Fernando Nogueira || 2,014,589 || 34.1 || 88 || style="color:red;"| –47|-| style="background:;"|| align="left"| CDS–PP| align=left |Manuel Monteiro || 534,470 || 9.1 || 15 || style="color:green;"| +10|-| style="background:;"|| align="left"| CDU| align=left |Carlos Carvalhas || 506,157 || 8.6 || 15 || style="color:red;"| –2|-| style="background:white;"|| colspan="2" align="left"| Other parties| 152,790 || 2.6 || 0 || style="color:red;"| –1|-| colspan="3" align="left"| Blank/Invalid ballots | 113,093 || 1.9 || – || –|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"| colspan="3" align="left"| Turnout| 5,904,854 || 66.30 || 230 || ±0|-| colspan="7" align=left|Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições[8] |}

Civil awards and decorations

Notes and References

  1. http://www.parlamento.pt/DeputadoGP/Paginas/Biografia.aspx?BID=333 Fernando Nogueira
  2. http://www.psd.pt/lider.php?i=11 Líderes - Joaquim Fernando Nogueira
  3. http://www.psd.pt/lider.php?i=12 Líderes - Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
  4. https://visao.sapo.pt/lusa/fernando-nogueira-manifesta-se-absolutamente-indisponivel-para-a-vida-politica=f823673 Fernando Nogueira manifesta-se "absolutamente indisponível" para a vida política
  5. http://www.jn.pt/nacional/eleicoes/interior/fernando-nogueira-faz-video-de-apoio-a-passos-coelho--4804400.html Fernando Nogueira faz vídeo de apoio a Passos Coelho
  6. https://arquivos.rtp.pt/conteudos/xvii-congresso-do-psd/ "XVII Congresso do PSD"
  7. https://www.publico.pt/2012/03/23/jornal/os-congressos-quentes-do-psd-no-poder-24238345 "Os congressos quentes do PSD no poder "
  8. Web site: Resultados AR 1995 . Comissão Nacional de Eleições . 5 August 2024.
  9. Web site: Cidadãos Nacionais Agraciados com Ordens Estrangeiras. Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas. 31 July 2017.