António Costa
António Luís Santos da Costa GCIH (born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has been the President-elect of the European Council since 2024. He was the 119th Prime Minister of Portugal from 26 November 2015 to 2 April 2024. He served as Mayor of Lisbon from 2007 to 2015. He was elected as Secretary-General of the Socialist Party in September 2014.[3]
António Costa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Costa in 2017 | |
| President-elect of the European Council | |
| Assuming office 1 December 2024 | |
| Succeeding | Charles Michel |
| Prime Minister of Portugal | |
| In office 26 November 2015 – 2 April 2024 | |
| President | Aníbal Cavaco Silva Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa |
| Preceded by | Pedro Passos Coelho |
| Succeeded by | Luís Montenegro |
| Secretary-General of the Socialist Party | |
| In office 22 November 2014 – 7 January 2024 | |
| President | Carlos César |
| Deputy | Ana Catarina Mendes José Luís Carneiro João Torres |
| Preceded by | António José Seguro |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Nuno Santos |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 22 November 2014 – 26 November 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Pedro Passos Coelho |
| Preceded by | António José Seguro |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Passos Coelho |
| Mayor of Lisbon | |
| In office 1 August 2007 – 6 April 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Carmona Rodrigues |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Medina |
| Minister of Internal Administration | |
| In office 12 March 2005 – 17 May 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | José Sócrates |
| Preceded by | Daniel Sanches |
| Succeeded by | Rui Pereira |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 25 October 1999 – 6 April 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | José Vera Jardim |
| Succeeded by | Celeste Cardona |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | |
| In office 27 November 1997 – 25 October 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | António Couto dos Santos |
| Succeeded by | Luís Marques Mendes |
| Member of the Assembly of the Republic[1][2] | |
| In office 23 October 2015 – 26 March 2024 | |
| Constituency | Lisbon |
| In office 5 April 2002 – 9 March 2005 | |
| Constituency | Leiria |
| In office 4 November 1991 – 26 October 1995 | |
| Constituency | Lisbon |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 July 2004 – 11 March 2005 | |
| Constituency | Portugal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | António Luís Santos da Costa 17 July 1961 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Political party | Socialist Party (since 1975) |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse(s) |
Fernanda Tadeu (m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Mother | Maria Antónia Palla |
| Father | Orlando da Costa |
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon |
| Signature |  |
| Website | portugal.gov.pt/pm |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Portugal |
| Branch/service | Portuguese Army |
On 7 November 2023, Costa resigned after ongoing searches and arrests involving members of his Socialist government. This resignation was accepted by the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a few hours later.[4][5]
After his resignation, Costa was elected as President of the European Council, a position he will start in December 2024.[6]
Early life
changeCosta was born in 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal. He is the son of writer Orlando da Costa and journalist Maria Antónia Palla.[7][8]
Costa graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in the 1980s. He first entered politics when he was elected as a Socialist deputy to the municipal council.[9] He later practiced law briefly from 1988, before entering politics full-time.[10]
President of the European Council
changeIn the aftermath of the 2024 European Parliament election, Costa was seen as the frontrunner candidate for the Presidency of the European Council.[11] On 27 June 2024, Costa was elected as President of the European Council, one of the three most important leadership posts of the European Union, by the 27 EU member state leaders.[6]
Personal life
changeIn 1987, Costa married Fernanda Maria Gonçalves Tadeu, a teacher. The couple have a son and a daughter. Costa also holds an Overseas Citizenship of India.[12]
References
change- ↑ "António Costa, Assembleia da República".
- ↑ "As legislaturas da Assembleia da República".
- ↑ António Costa's Biography on the Portuguese Government's official webpage.
- ↑ "Portugal's PM Costa resigns over corruption investigation". Reuters. 2023-11-07. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ↑ "Face a buscas e detenções, Marcelo recebeu Costa a pedido deste em Belém". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 2023-11-07. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas bag EU top jobs". Poltico Europe. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ↑ Then Came A Gandhi Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, outlookindia.com, retrieved 10 September 2015
- ↑ "'Proud of my roots in Goa': Portugal PM Antonio Costa's Q&A with HT". Hindustan Times. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ↑ "António Costa" (PDF). Jornal de Campanha — Socialist Party. August 2015. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ↑ Axel Bugge (4 October 2015), Portuguese Socialist leader Costa candidate for PM Archived 16 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
- ↑ Morales, Aitor Hernández (13 June 2024). "Can António Costa be EU Council president despite his legal woes?". Poltico Europe. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ↑ "PM Narendra Modi presents OCI card to Portugal's Indian-origin PM Antonio Costa". 24 June 2017. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
Other websites
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