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António Costa

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António Costa

Costa in 2017
President-elect of the European Council
Assuming office
1 December 2024
SucceedingCharles Michel
Prime Minister of Portugal
In office
26 November 2015 – 2 April 2024
PresidentAníbal Cavaco Silva
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Preceded byPedro Passos Coelho
Succeeded byLuís Montenegro
Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
In office
22 November 2014 – 7 January 2024
PresidentCarlos César
DeputyAna Catarina Mendes
José Luís Carneiro
João Torres
Preceded byAntónio José Seguro
Succeeded byPedro Nuno Santos
Leader of the Opposition
In office
22 November 2014 – 26 November 2015
Prime MinisterPedro Passos Coelho
Preceded byAntónio José Seguro
Succeeded byPedro Passos Coelho
Mayor of Lisbon
In office
1 August 2007 – 6 April 2015
Preceded byCarmona Rodrigues
Succeeded byFernando Medina
Minister of Internal Administration
In office
12 March 2005 – 17 May 2007
Prime MinisterJosé Sócrates
Preceded byDaniel Sanches
Succeeded byRui Pereira
Minister of Justice
In office
25 October 1999 – 6 April 2002
Prime MinisterAntónio Guterres
Preceded byJosé Vera Jardim
Succeeded byCeleste Cardona
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office
27 November 1997 – 25 October 1999
Prime MinisterAntónio Guterres
Preceded byAntónio Couto dos Santos
Succeeded byLuís Marques Mendes
Member of the Assembly of the Republic[1][2]
In office
23 October 2015 – 26 March 2024
ConstituencyLisbon
In office
5 April 2002 – 9 March 2005
ConstituencyLeiria
In office
4 November 1991 – 26 October 1995
ConstituencyLisbon
Member of the European Parliament
In office
20 July 2004 – 11 March 2005
ConstituencyPortugal
Personal details
Born
António Luís Santos da Costa

(1961-07-17) 17 July 1961 (age 63)
Lisbon, Portugal
Political partySocialist Party (since 1975)
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Spouse(s)
Fernanda Tadeu
(m. 1987)
Children2
MotherMaria Antónia Palla
FatherOrlando da Costa
Alma materUniversity of Lisbon
Signature
Websiteportugal.gov.pt/pm
Military service
Allegiance Portugal
Branch/servicePortuguese Army

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]

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

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Costa 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

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In 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

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In 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

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  1. "António Costa, Assembleia da República".
  2. "As legislaturas da Assembleia da República".
  3. António Costa's Biography on the Portuguese Government's official webpage.
  4. "Portugal's PM Costa resigns over corruption investigation". Reuters. 2023-11-07. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. "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. 6.0 6.1 "Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas bag EU top jobs". Poltico Europe. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  7. Then Came A Gandhi Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, outlookindia.com, retrieved 10 September 2015
  8. "'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.
  9. "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.
  10. Axel Bugge (4 October 2015), Portuguese Socialist leader Costa candidate for PM Archived 16 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  11. Morales, Aitor Hernández (13 June 2024). "Can António Costa be EU Council president despite his legal woes?". Poltico Europe. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  12. "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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