Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues

Eduardo Luís Barreto Ferro Rodrigues GCL (born 3 November 1949) is a Portuguese politician and economist who has been President of the Assembly of the Republic since 2015, in the 13th (2015–2019) and 14th Legislatures (2019–present). He was Minister for Social Security, and later Minister for Public Works, in the governments of António Guterres.[1]

His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues GCL
President of the Assembly of the Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 October 2015
Preceded by	Assunção Esteves
Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
In office 20 January 2002 – 24 September 2004
Preceded by	António Guterres
Succeeded by	José Sócrates
Leader of the Opposition
In office 6 April 2002 – 24 September 2004
Prime Minister	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	José Manuel Barroso
Succeeded by	José Sócrates
Minister of Social Infrastructure
In office 10 March 2001 – 23 January 2002
Prime Minister	António Guterres
Preceded by	Jorge Coelho
Succeeded by	José Sócrates
Minister of Labour and Solidarity
In office 25 November 1997 – 10 March 2001
Prime Minister	António Guterres
Preceded by	Maria João Rodrigues (Training and Employment)
Succeeded by	Paulo Pedroso
Minister of Solidarity and Social Security
In office 28 October 1995 – 25 November 1997
Prime Minister	António Guterres
Preceded by	José Falcão e Cunha (Employment and Social Security)
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	Eduardo Luís Barreto Ferro Rodrigues 3 November 1949 Lisbon, Portugal
Political party	Socialist Party
Spouse(s)	Maria Filomena Lopes Peixoto de Aguilar
Children	João Luís Rita
Alma mater	School of Economics and Finance, Technical University of Lisbon

Early life and education

Born in Lisbon, he obtained the degree of licenciado in economics at what today is the Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (ISEG) of Lisbon University, and is a lecturer in economics at ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon.

Political career

In 2002, Ferro Rodrigues was elected Secretary-General of the Portuguese Socialist Party, a position he retained for two years.[2] He resigned on 9 July 2004, immediately after President Jorge Sampaio announced a decision not to hold early elections when Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso stepped down from office in order to be appointed President of the European Commission.[3] Shortly after, Rodrigues was appointed as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the OECD.[1]

Following the October 2015 parliamentary election, he was elected as President of the Assembly of the Republic on 23 October 2015 with the support of the Socialists, the Communists and the Left Bloc. Ferro received 120 votes against 108 votes for the candidate of the centre-right government.[4]

After the 2019 parliamentary election, Ferro Rodrigues was re-elected as President of the Assembly of the Republic, receiving 178 votes.[5]

Family

Married to Maria Filomena Lopes Peixoto de Aguilar, he has two children, João Luís de Aguilar Ferro Rodrigues and a daughter, television presenter Rita Ferro Rodrigues.

Honours

Portuguese honours

• Grand-Cross of the Order of Liberty, Portugal (5 October 2016)[6]

Foreign honours

• Grand Cross of the Order of May, Merit Class, Argentina (18 June 2003)[7]
• Grand-Cross of the Order of Charles III, Spain (25 November 2016)[7]
• Grand-Cross of the Order of Honour, Greece (21 April 2017)[7]

References

1. "Portugal: Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the OECD". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011.
2. Freire, André; Lobo, Marina Costa; Magalhães, Pedro (2007). Portugal at the polls: in 2002. Lexington Books. pp. 127–128. ISBN 978-0-7391-1563-3.
3. Stuart, Paul (21 July 2004). "Portugal's Prime Minister Barroso nominated as European Commission president". World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011.
4. "Portugal parliament elects Socialist speaker with support of left", Reuters, 23 October 2015.
5. "Ferro Rodrigues reeleito para presidência da Assembleia promete mobilização contra "ameaça climática"". www.dn.pt (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
6. "Cidadãos Nacionais Agraciados com Ordens Portuguesas". Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
7. "Cidadãos Nacionais Agraciados com Ordens Estrangeiras". Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas. Retrieved 31 July 2017.