The first deputy elected by the UDP in 1975, Américo Duarte, died Monday at age 80, a victim of Parkinson’s disease, according to the Convergence portal, linked to that former political party.
Américo dos Reis Duarte, a former member of Lisnave, was the first deputy elected by the Popular Democratic Union (UDP), one of the parties that formed the Left Bloc in 1999 (with the PSR of Francisco Louçã and the Political Movement XXI by Miguel Portas).
Born on October 29, 1942 in Lisbon, Américo Duarte was a mechanic aboard the Lisnave when he was elected to the Constituent Assembly. His combative style and popular language stood out, although Mário Tomé (or Major Tomé, as he was known) was the UDP deputy who achieved the most fame.
According to a biography made by the online newspaper Observador in 2015, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Constitution, Américo Duarte was the first deputy to speak on June 3, 1975 during the sessions of the Constituent Assembly to single out one of the political opponents , the social democrat Mota Amaral, whom he then labeled as a “distinguished fascist”.
Voz do Povo, the official newspaper of the UDP, spoke of Américo Duarte as “a revolutionary element thrown into the lap of the enemy” and as someone who would be forced to deal with the “bourgeois scoundrel” for a few months said the newspaper. the same text published by the daily Observer.
Violent rhetoric, not infrequently resorting to profanity, was a trademark of the former UDP deputy, still spoken of in the corridors of parliament when democracy was already consolidated and Mário Tomé, with a different style, was the only voice of the UDP in the palace belonged to S.Bento.
Américo Duarte only entered the Constituent Assembly because the head of the UDP list, João Pulido Valente, resigned before taking office. Speaking to Público, the deputy even confessed, “I didn’t even know I was second on the list. I didn’t know what a Constituent Assembly was. Do you believe that?”
He would be replaced by actor and musician Afonso Dias after November 25, 1975, with Américo Duarte returning to Lisnave.
According to the “Convergência” portal linked to the UDP, Américo Duarte “began working at the age of 11, went through Sorefame, as a locksmith, and through the colonial war, in Angola, against his will”.
“He took part in workers’ struggles and strikes during the fascist regime. After being elected to the Workers Committee of Lisnave Shipyard on April 25, he was one of the organizers of the major demonstration of November 12, 1974,” the note reads. biographical.
Source: DN
