Former PS leader José Junqueiro has died

Former leader and vice-president of the PS Parliamentary Group, José Junqueiro, died this Wednesday at the age of 72, a death that was communicated to the deputies by the president of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, before the voting period.

"I have just been informed that José Junqueiro, with whom I had the privilege of serving as a member of parliament in previous legislatures, has passed away. I extend my condolences to the Socialist Party and his family, and I express the condolences of the entire Assembly of the Republic," stated José Pedro Aguiar-Branco.

José Junqueiro, former Secretary of State, retired professor from the University of Aveiro, Sporting fan and former councillor at Viseu City Council, was consecutively elected PS deputy between 1995 and 2015, always for the Viseu constituency.

Among other political roles, José Junqueiro was Secretary of State for Local Administration (2009-2011) in the second government led by José Sócrates and Secretary of State for Maritime and Port Administration (2000-2002) in the second government of António Guterres.

He was a member of the PS National Secretariat on several occasions, socialist coordinator on the Social Equipment Commission and led the Viseu Federation.

From a political point of view, in the PS, José Junqueiro was a socialist leader close first to the leadership of António Guterres between 1992 and December 2001 and then to António José Seguro between 2011 and 2014.

With the victory of António Costa in the Socialist primary elections in September 2014, in which he defeated António José Seguro, José Junqueiro stopped being a candidate for deputy of the PS after the 2015 legislative elections and withdrew from the front line of political life.