Joaquim do Amaral
 Joaquim do Amaral    (engineer, politician) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 13 April 1945 |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Alma mater | Technical University of Lisbon |
| Party | Social Democratic Party (Portugal) |
Portuguese politician who attended the 1999 Bilderberg. Party-supported candidate for President in 2001, losing to fellow Bilderberger Jorge Sampaio.
| |
Joaquim Martins Ferreira do Amaral is a Portuguese engineer and politician. He attended the 1999 Bilderberg meeting. In 2001 he was the party-supported candidate for President, losing to fellow Bilderberger Jorge Sampaio.
Education
He is of Portuguese nobility, and son of João Maria Barreto Ferreira do Amaral, who used the title of 2. Baron de Oliveira Lima.
Graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Instituto Superior Técnico of the Technical University of Lisbon in 1968, he completed his compulsory military service in the colonial war in Angola, as an infantry militia captain.
Career
He began his professional career in the public administration. In 1979, he was appointed Secretary of State for Extractive and Processing Industries of the Lurdes Pintasilgo government.
He started working at the Institute of Foreign Investment (1982), he then went through the National Defense Industries (1982) and the Financial Institute for support to the development of Agriculture and Fisheries (1986).
Joining the Social Democratic Party in 1981, he was successively Secretary of State for European integration and Secretary of State for Tourism, in the governments of Francisco Pinto Balsemão, until 1983.
Between 1984 and 1985, he was Minister of Commerce and Tourism in the Mário Soares government. Later, between 1987 and 1990, he was again minister of Commerce and Tourism, in the first absolute majority government of Aníbal Cavaco Silva. In 1990 he was appointed Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications, remaining in office until 1995. In the Public Works portfolio, he promoted the construction or completion of roads , as well as the launch of the Vasco da Gama Bridge (completed in 1998) and other works, such as the extension of the Lisbon Metro, the construction of the Belém Cultural Center or the preparation of Expo 98. In 1991, under his tutelage, the liberalization of the telecommunications market in Portugal began, with the victory of Telecel in the first tender for the assignment of a mobile communications license to a private operator in Portugal.[1]
In 1995 he became a member of parliament.
He was candidate for mayor of Lisbon in 1997, he was defeated by João Barroso Soares.
In 2001 he was the party-supported candidate for President of the Republic, losing to fellow Bilderberger Jorge Sampaio.
He has been a non-executive member of Lusoponte's Board of Directors since 2008, the company that built the Vasco da Gama Bridge he awarded to the company as minister.[2]
Corruption allegation
He was involved, together with his secretary of State, Álvaro Magalhães, in a judicial investigation for alleged favoring a contractor worth 13 million contos (about 65 million euros), when he was minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications, for road construction. However, in May 2000, the inquiry was closed for lack of evidence.[3][4]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1999 | 3 June 1999 | 6 June 1999 | Portugal Sintra | The 47th Bilderberg, 111 participants |
References
- ↑ https://expresso.pt/economia/2023-05-18-1991-Uma-revolucao-nos-telemoveis-em-Portugal-935217c8
- ↑ https://expresso.pt/blogues/opiniao_daniel_oliveira_antes_pelo_contrario/-as-verdadeiras-reformas-de-alguns-politicos-nao-sao-as-que-aparecem-nos-jornais=f684379
- ↑ https://estudogeral.uc.pt/handle/10316/29598
- ↑ https://www.sabado.pt/portugal/detalhe/lusoponte-ja-pagou-a-manutencao-da-ponte-diz-ferreira-amaral
