| Alberto João Jardim | |
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| Incumbent | |
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Assumed office March 17, 1978 |
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| Preceded by | Jaime Ornelas Camacho |
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| Born | 4 February 1943 Funchal, Madeira Island, Madeira |
| Political party | PSD |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Ângela Andrade Martins |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Alberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim, GCIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [aɫˈbɛɾtu ʒuˈɐ̃ũ ʒɐɾˈdĩ], born Madeira Island, Funchal, Santa Luzia, 4 February 1943) is a Portuguese politician. He has been the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal, since 1978.
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Jardim was born onMadeira Island in 1943, son of Alberto Gonçalves Jardim (d. 1954) and xc d- /-- Marceliana do Patrocínio de Jesus Cardoso (Funchal, São Pedro, baptized 2 September 1909 – 29 July 2006). He went to Coimbra in order to study at the local university, and he lived there for over a decade as a student. He was awarded a degree of Licentiate in Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra in 1973.
Jardim became a high school teacher. He was also director of the Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional da Ilha da Madeira (Employment and Vocational Training Centre of Madeira Island). As a journalist, he was director of "Jornal da Madeira", and wrote for different Portuguese newspapers and magazines.
He was one of the Founders of the then Popular Democratic Party (PPD) in May 1974, a month after the Carnation Revolution, together with Francisco Sá Carneiro, Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Joaquim Magalhães Mota, Carlos Mota Pinto, João Bosco Mota Amaral, António Barbosa de Melo and António Marques Mendes, and co-founder of its Madeiran branch.
First elected in 1978, Alberto João Jardim has since then been successively elected President of the Regional Government of Madeira. He is a member of the:
He is one of the longest-serving, democratically elected leaders of any jurisdiction in the world.
Alberto João Jardim is also a member and ex-Vice President (2000-2001) of the European Union Committee of the Regions. He is Honorary President of the European Summit of Regions & Cities.
He is the founder and a member of the Assembly of European Regions. He was Vice-President of European People's Party.
On 19 February 2007, he resigned his office in protest against the new law on regional finances enacted by the national government of José Sócrates. His resignation caused early elections, which he won easily. The national government, nevertheless, announced that the law wouldn't be changed.
A controversial personality, Jardim is usually seen as an outspoken populist, who is infamous for his often outspoken remarks about his political opponents, from left to right, including several journalists. He has been compared to politicians like Jean Marie Le Pen and Hugo Chávez. This has led to both controversies and formal accusations.[1] Regarding LGBT rights, Jardim opposes marriage equality, saying that he doesn't "like certain things".
As Madeira's democratically elected political leader for over 30 years, he has many supporters who view him as a responsible and proactive governor, particularly well-regarded in the Archipelago of Madeira proper. Despite his confrontational, explosive and sometimes impolite personality, Jardim has claimed many benefits and privileges for Madeira, helping the region to improve in several fields throughout the years it has been under his leadership.
However, it must be noted that the European Union assistance to its ultra-peripheral regions, which includes the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira, has played a major role in the region's development - Madeira's development has been massively aided by structural and cohesion funds allocated by the European Union to the regional government.[2]
His name has been often associated with FLAMA, the defunct archipelago's far-right separatist organization that undertook 70 bombings in Madeira between 1975 and 1978. Although no FLAMA activists were ever brought to justice, Alberto João Jardim has often supported their cause, stating that "they should receive a reward not a punishment, since they're defenders of democracy and of the homeland"[3].
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