Fernando Nogueira

Life before politics

Fernando Nogueira was born in Matosinhos in 26 March 1950. He graduated in Law from the University of Coimbra in 1974, becoming a lawyer shortly after. He also taught at the same university.

Political career

Fernando Nogueira was first elected for the Assembly of the Republic in 1985. Before that he was Secretary of State for Regional Development in the Central Bloc government led by Mário Soares. After the Social Democratic Party victory in 1985, Aníbal Cavaco Silva became Prime Minister, and Nogueira was nominated Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, initiating a career as top government minister that would span for a decade.

After the 1987 legislative election, in which his party won a majority (the first majority of a single party after the Carnation Revolution), Fernando Nogueira became Minister of Justice and Minister of Presidency, a position frequently created in many Portuguese cabinets which is responsible for the political coordination of the government. After a cabinet reshuffle in 1990, Nogueira moved to the Ministry of National Defense, continuing as Minister of Presidency. He retained both posts after the 1991 legislative election, in which the Social Democratic Party renewed its majority.

Fernando Nogueira was elected President of the Social Democratic Party on 17 February 1995, after Aníbal Cavaco Silva decided to step down after ten years as party leader (and Prime Minister) in order to run for the 1996 presidential election. By then he had been widely regarded for a long time as Cavaco's political heir, and won the party congress by 33 votes against Durão Barroso. Nogueira resigned all government posts in March 1995 and led the party into the 1995 legislative election, performing well in the television debates against the Socialist Party leader António Guterres. However, the electorate was tired of the Social Democrats and the Socialist Party won the election, with Guterres becoming Prime Minister. Fernando Nogueira became Leader of the Opposition, which in Portugal is an informal position which doesn't carry the same privileges and responsibilities as in other countries such as the United Kingdom.

Only months after this defeat, the party suffered another electoral loss, with Aníbal Cavaco Silva being defeated by Jorge Sampaio in the presidential election. These defeats prompted Nogueira to resign party leadership, being succeeded by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the subsequent party congress. This resignation de facto ended his political career, although he retained his parliamentary seat until the 1999 legislative election.

Current position and activities after leaving politics

After stepping down from parliament, Fernando Nogueira withdrew from active party politics and generally kept a very low profile ever since, although he continues to be a member of the Social Democratic Party.

Since 2012 he is President of Fundação Millennium BCP, a part of the bank responsible for supporting and financing cultural and artistic projects.

In June 2015 his name briefly returned to media spotlight after the leader of the Social Democratic Party and then Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, said Nogueira was his preferred candidate for the 2016 presidential election. Nogueira rapidly issued a statement stressing he was "absolutely unavailable" to return to active politics. Shortly before the 2015 legislative election he briefly reappeared again, making a video which was exhibited in a campaign rally and in which he voiced support for Pedro Passos Coelho and the alliance Portugal Ahead. The alliance won a plurality in the election and was invited to form a new government, which ended toppled by a motion of no confidence supported by a left-wing coalition.

Civil awards and decorations