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Portuguese politicians send condolences upon death of Socialist Party founder

Xinhua, November 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Portugal's culture minister Luis Castro Mendes on Monday expressed deep sadness at the death of the founder of the country's Socialist Party (PS) Bernardino Gomes, referring to him as a "man of culture" and an intimate friend.

"As well as his national and international dimension, (Gomes) was a man of culture who sought to promote the arts and Portuguese artists in all the positions he occupied," Castro Mendes said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Culture.

Bernardino Gomes died on Sunday at the age of 72. He founded the Socialist Party with former PS leader and president Mario Soares on April 19, 1973.

Gomes graduated from the University of Leuven in Belgium with a degree in political sciences and was director of the cabinet for studies and planning of the ministry of foreign affairs after April 25, 1974.

Numerous politicians across Portugal expressed their condolences after his death.

"(His loss) is very felt and it is an important loss for all Portuguese socialists," an official note from the Socialist Party read.

"He had a discrete yet crucial role in the installation and affirmation of the party as a force of great influence," the Socialist Party pointed out, adding that he had worked in defense of a democratic and plural society in Portugal.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said in a note on the president's official website that he had an "old friendship" with Gomes, and referred to him as a "fighter of freedom and democracy." Endit