- Alberto João Jardim
Infobox President | name=Alberto João Jardim
caption =
order=President of the Regional Government of Madeira
term_start=March 1978
term_end=
predecessor=Jaime Ornelas Camacho
successor=Incumbent
birth_date=Birth date and age|df=yes|1943|2|4
birth_place=Funchal ,Madeira Island ,Madeira
spouse= Maria Ângela Andrade Martins
party=PSDAlberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim, GCIH, pron. IPA2|aɫ'bɛɾtu ʒu'ɐ̃ũ ʒɐɾ'dĩ, (born
Madeira Island ,Funchal , Santa Luzia, 4 February 1943) is the President of the Regional Government ofMadeira ,Portugal , and co-founder of the Madeiran branch of the popular centre-right-wing Portuguese party PSD. He was Vice-President ofEuropean People's Party . He has at times been a controversial figure.Early years
Jardim was born in the
Madeira Island in 1943, son of Alberto Gonçalves Jardim (d. 1954) and wife Marceliana do Patrocínio de Jesus Cardoso (Funchal , São Pedro, baptized 2 September 1909 – 29 July 2006). He went toCoimbra in order to study at the local university, and he lived there for over a decade. He has a degree ofLicentiate inLaw from theFaculty of Law of theUniversity of Coimbra , awarded in 1973.Jardim became a
high school teacher . He was alsodirector of the "Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional da Ilha da Madeira" (Employment and Professional Formation Centre of Madeira Island). As ajournalist , he was director of "Jornal da Madeira", and wrote for different Portuguese newspapers and magazines.Family
In 1968 he married Maria Ângela Andrade Martins and had:
* Cláudia Martins Gonçalves Jardim (b. 24 August 1970), married to David Gomes
* Pedro Alberto Martins Gonçalves Jardim (b. January, 1972), unmarried and without issue
* Andreia Martins Gonçalves Jardim, married to José Miguel Monteiro de Resende TropaPolitics
First elected in 1978, Alberto João Jardim has since then been successively elected for President of the Regional Government of
Madeira . He is member of the:
* Council of State of thePortuguese Republic as the President of the Regional Government of Madeira
* State Defense Council of thePortuguese Republic
* State Internal Defense Superior Council of thePortuguese Republic
* Homeland Security Superior Council of thePortuguese Republic .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 founder and a member of the European Regional Assembly.
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.Other affiliations
* He is a fan of
C.S. Marítimo , a sports club from Funchal, and good friend of their PresidentCarlos Pereira .
* Invited Teacher of theUniversidade Independente , a private university inLisbon . [http://www.uni.pt/homepages/docentes/jjardim/cv.htm] .Decorations
*
Commander Grand Cross of theOrder of the Polar Star (Sweden )
*Grand Cross of theOrder of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) (Portugal )
*Grand Cross of theOrder of El Libertador (Venezuela )
*Grand Cross of theOrder of Francisco de Miranda (Venezuela )
*Commander of Benefaction of thePortuguese Red Cross (Portugal )
*Honorary Knight of theByzantine Order of the Holy Sepulchre
*European Council "Pro Merito"Medal (European Union )
*Funchal Medal of Honor ; (Portugal )
* Santa CruzMedal of Honor (Portugal )
* São Vicente Collar ofHonor (Portugal )
*Chacao Municipality Order of Community Venezuela
*Order of Ricardo Montilha (Venezuela )
*Order of Juan Guilhermo Irribarren (Venezuela )
*Order of Saurau de Aragua (Venezuela )
*Order of Jacinto Lara (Venezuela )
* Portuguese Firemen League GratitudeMedal Portugal
* Portuguese Firemen League Meritorious ServiceMedal Portugal
* Portuguese Firemen League 20 Years of Good ServiceMedal
* Madeiran Volunteer Firemen 50 Years CommemorativeMedal (Portugal )
* National Scouts Corps Meritorious ServiceMedal (Portugal )
* Alberto João has an "honoris causa"doctorate inPolitical Sciences , granted by the ItalianUniversity of St. Cirilio .Fact|date=February 2007Published Books
* "Tribuna Livre" (3 vols.)
* "Pela Autonomia e o Desenvolvimento Integral" (2 vols.)
* "A Experiência da Autonomia Regional da Madeira"
* "Regionalização, Europa, Estado e Poder Local"Quotes
* "There are some bastards, in the mainland media. I'll say bastards so I won't call them sons of bitches..." (
Diário de Notícias , 5 June 2005)
* "Although they [mainland] are anti-fascists, without ever picking up a rifle, it was the people of Madeira and not those faggots who made the revolution for 29 days against Salazar (an allusion to the 1931 military uprising)."(Diário de Notícias , 31 July 2006)Controversies
A controversial personality, Jardim has been accused by critics and political enemies of being an outspoken populist, infamous by his abusive fierce remarks about his political opponents and several journalists. This have led to both some amount of disrespect and some formal accusations. [ [http://www.rtp.pt/gdesport/?article=835&visual=3&topic=1 Saiba Mais] , in RTP]
As the Madeira's democratically elected political leader for over 20 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 frontal 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. [ [http://www.eu-direct.info/fonds/map/portugal/factsheets/pdf/fact_pt30_en.pdf Portugal-En ] ]References
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