Father of Portugal’s democracy Mario Soares dies at 92

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The father of Portugal's democracy Mario Soares died Saturday at the age of 92, two weeks after he was admitted to a hospital in the capital Lisbon.

Soares died of respiratory complications that left him in a deep coma at Red Cross hospital.

As the founder of Portugal's Socialist party, Soares spent decades in politics and spearheaded the country's entry into the European Union.

Portugal's former president Mario Soares gives a speech during his electoral campaign on the streets of Lisbon January 19, 2006. /CFP Photo

He was president from 1986 to 1996 after serving as foreign minister and prime minister, and later became a European lawmaker.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa has declared a three-day national mourning starting Monday. "Today we lost the one who was so often the face and the voice of our freedom. Mario Soares was a man who throughout his life fought for freedom, he did it against the dictatorship, suffering prison, deportation and exile," Costa said.

Presidential candidate Mario Soares looking on to the Alqueva dam from Monsaraz Castle in Reguengos de Monsaraz, southeast Portugal on January 8, 2006. /CFP Photo‍

"The loss of Mario Soares is the loss of someone who would have been irreplaceable in our recent history. We owe him a lot and we will remain forever eternally grateful," he added.

A state funeral for Soares will be held in Lisbon on Tuesday. Costa, who is on an official visit to India, will be absent from the funeral, but he has sent his condolence to Soares' family.

(Source: CRI)

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