António Costa
Encyclopedia
António Luís dos Santos da Costa, GCIH (born July 17, 1961 in Lisbon
) is a Portuguese
lawyer
and politician
, former Minister and current Mayor of Lisbon.
for the Socialist Party
(PES
), heading the list after the dramatic death of top candidate António de Sousa Franco. On July 20, 2004 he was elected as one of the 14 Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament
. He resigned as an MEP on 11 March 2005 to become Minister of State and Administration in the government of José Sócrates
.
António Costa resigned to all government offices in May 2007 to become his party's candidate to the municipality of Lisbon. He was elected as Lisbon's mayor on July 15, 2007.
. His mother was the writer Maria Antónia Palla. His brother by his father's second marriage is the journalist Ricardo Costa
.
Married in 1987 to Fernanda Maria Gonçalves Tadeu, the couple has a son and a daughter.
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
) is a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, former Minister and current Mayor of Lisbon.
Political career
He was a Member of the European ParliamentMember of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Portugal)
The Socialist Party , abbreviated to PS, is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel, by militants from Portuguese Socialist Action ....
(PES
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...
), heading the list after the dramatic death of top candidate António de Sousa Franco. On July 20, 2004 he was elected as one of the 14 Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament
President of the European Parliament
The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve...
. He resigned as an MEP on 11 March 2005 to become Minister of State and Administration in the government of José Sócrates
José Sócrates
José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, GCIH , commonly known by José Sócrates , is a Portuguese politician who was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011....
.
António Costa resigned to all government offices in May 2007 to become his party's candidate to the municipality of Lisbon. He was elected as Lisbon's mayor on July 15, 2007.
Family
António Costa is of partial Goan descent through his father, the writer Orlando da CostaOrlando da Costa
Orlando António Fernandes da Costa was a Portuguese writer of Goan descent on his father Luís Afonso Maria da Costa's side and of Portuguese and French on his mother Amélia Maria Fréchaut Fernandes' side. Born in Lourenço Marques, Mozambique, a Portuguese colony at the time, he spent his youth in...
. His mother was the writer Maria Antónia Palla. His brother by his father's second marriage is the journalist Ricardo Costa
Ricardo Costa (journalist)
Ricardo Paiva Costa is a Portuguese journalist. He has worked for SIC television network as a host in several television programs, including Expresso da Meia-Noite, with Nicolau Santos. Since 2011, Ricardo Costa is the director of Expresso. Ricardo is son of Orlando da Costa, a writer, and Inácia...
.
Married in 1987 to Fernanda Maria Gonçalves Tadeu, the couple has a son and a daughter.