
Francisco Salgado Zenha
GCL (2 May 1923,
Braga
Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (i ...
– 1 November 1993,
Lisbon) was a Portuguese left-wing politician and lawyer.
As a student at the
University of Coimbra
The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The ...
, he was elected president of the
Academic Association of Coimbra, being dismissed some months after because he refused to participate in a demonstration of support to the
Estado Novo regime. Some time after, in 1945, he became one of the founders of the youth wing of the
Movement of Democratic Unity (Portuguese: ''Movimento de Unidade Democrática – Juvenil'' or "MUD-J"), a movement that congregated almost all the opposition movements to the Portuguese Fascist regime. His "subversive" actions lead him to prison for several times.
Later, he supported the presidential candidacy of
Norton de Matos, and it was at this time that he met
Mário Soares
Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares, GColTE, GCC, GColL (; 7 December 1924 – 7 January 2017) was a Portuguese politician, who served as prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the 17th pres ...
. Some years after he supported another democratic candidate to the manipulated elections,
Humberto Delgado
Humberto da Silva Delgado, ComC, GCA, GOA, ComA, OA, ComSE, GCL, OIP, CBE (Portuguese pronunciation: �ˈbɛɾtu dɛɫˈɡadu 15 May 1906 – 13 February 1965) was a General of the Portuguese Air Force, diplomat and politician.
Early l ...
. After that he joined several Socialist movements, and in 1973, he was among the founders of the
Socialist Party. As an anti-fascist he became notable for defending in court many people accused of anti-fascist and anti-colonialist activities.
After the
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lis ...
, he was Minister of Justice in the first, second, third and fourth provisional governments and
Minister of Finance in the fifth. He was member of the commission that made the review of the judiciary composition with the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
that, for example, legalized divorce in Portugal. Between 1974 and 1982, he was member of the direction of the Socialist Party and member of its Parliamentary Group.
In 1980, he started a dissidence with his old friend Mário Soares because the Party's support to
Ramalho Eanes in the presidential election.
In 1986, he was a presidential candidate supported by the
Portuguese Communist Party
The Portuguese Communist Party ( pt, Partido Comunista Português, , PCP) is a communist, Marxist–Leninist political party in Portugal based upon democratic centralism. The party also considers itself patriotic and internationalist,Portug ...
and the
Democratic Renovator Party, but even supported by these two parties he failed to reach the second round and thereafter virtually left the Portuguese political scene.
He died on 1 November 1993.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zenha, Francisco Salgado
1923 births
1993 deaths
People from Braga
Portuguese anti-fascists
Candidates for President of Portugal
Socialist Party (Portugal) politicians
Finance ministers of Portugal
Government ministers of Portugal
Justice ministers of Portugal
20th-century Portuguese lawyers
University of Coimbra alumni