{{short description|Portuguese lawyer and politician (born 1945)}} {{BLP sources|date=April 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Alberto Martins | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1945|04|25}} | birth_place = Guimarães, Portugal | party = Socialist Party | occupation = Lawyer<br> Politician | office = Member of the Council of State | term_start = 17 April 2026 | term_end = | president = António José Seguro | office1 = Minister of Justice | term_start1 = 26 October 2009 | term_end1 = 21 June 2011 | prime_minister1 = José Sócrates | predecessor1 = Alberto Costa | successor1 = Paula Teixeira da Cruz | office2 = Minister of State Reform and Public Administration | term_start2 = 25 October 1999 | term_end2 = 6 April 2002 | prime_minister2 = António Guterres | office3 = Member of the Assembly of the Republic | term_start3 = 27 October 1995 | term_end3 = 20 July 2017 | constituency3 = Porto | term_start4 = 4 November 1991 | term_end4 = 26 October 1995 | constituency4 = Braga | term_start5 = 13 August 1987 | term_end5 = 3 November 1991 | constituency5 = Porto | other_party = Movement of Socialist Left (1974–c. 1985) }} '''Alberto de Sousa Martins''' <small>GCL GOC</small> (born 25 April 1945, Guimarães, Portugal) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician, who has served as Minister of State Reform and Public Administration from 1999 to 2002, and as Minister of Justice from 2009 to 2011.
== Biography == Alberto Martins was born in Guimarães, on 25 April 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-20 |title=Alberto Martins: o político que nasceu no dia em que não lhe deram a palavra |url=https://expresso.pt/dossies/diario/2017-07-20-Alberto-Martins-o-politico-que-nasceu-no-dia-em-que-nao-lhe-deram-a-palavra |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=Expresso |language=pt}}</ref>
Martins was one of the main figures from the 1969 academic crisis in Portugal, when, as President of the Academic Association of Coimbra, he asked President Américo Tomás to speak against the Estado Novo regime.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coimbra |first=Universidade de |title=Comemoração dos 50 anos da Crise Académica de 1969 |url=https://www.uc.pt/fctuc/dmat/noticias/comemoracao-dos-50-anos-da-crise-academica-de-1969/ |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=uc.pt |language=pt}}</ref>
After the Carnation Revolution, he joined the Movement of Socialist Left, a marxist political party, being one of the main figures of the party. He later left the party and joined the center-left Socialist Party, being elected an MP for the first time in 1987. He was subsequently re-elected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biografia {{!}} Alberto Martins |url=http://www.parlamento.pt/DeputadoGP/Paginas/Biografia.aspx?BID=462 |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=Assembleia da República |language=pt-PT}}</ref>
In 1999, he was appointed by António Guterres as Minister of State Reform and Public Administration, serving as minister until the fall of the government in 2002. Afterwards, he was parliamentary leader during the 10th legislature, from 2005 to 2009, until he assumed the office of Minister of Justice in the second José Sócrates' government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alberto Martins aplaudido de pé por todos os deputados na hora da despedida |url=https://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/economia/politica/detalhe/alberto-martins-aplaudido-de-pe-por-todos-os-deputados-na-hora-da-despedida- |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=www.jornaldenegocios.pt |language=pt-PT}}</ref> He returned again to the post of parliamentary leader from 2013 to 2014, leaving the office after the election of António Costa as leader of PS.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Portugal |first=Rádio e Televisão de |date=2014-09-28 |title=Alberto Martins anuncia demissão do cargo de presidente do Grupo Parlamentar |url=https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/primarias-ps/alberto-martins-anuncia-demissao-do-cargo-de-presidente-do-grupo-parlamentar_n770095 |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=Alberto Martins anuncia demissão do cargo de presidente do Grupo Parlamentar |language=pt}}</ref>
Alberto Martins resigned as an MP in July 2017, after 30 years in office.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Botelho |first=Leonete |date=2017-07-19 |title=Alberto Martins deixa Parlamento 30 anos depois |url=https://www.publico.pt/2017/07/19/politica/noticia/alberto-martins-deixa-parlamento-30-anos-depois-1779688 |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=PÚBLICO |language=pt}}</ref> After leaving office, he was a candidate for President of the Municipal Assembly of Porto in the 2021 local election,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cunha |first=Mariana Lima |title=Alberto Martins é o candidato do PS à Assembleia Municipal do Porto |url=https://observador.pt/2021/07/02/alberto-martins-e-o-candidato-do-ps-a-assembleia-municipal-do-porto/ |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=Observador |language=pt-PT}}</ref> and supported António José Seguro in the 2026 presidential election.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lusa |date=2025-06-08 |title=Presidenciais: Alberto Martins declara apoio a António José Seguro |url=https://www.publico.pt/2025/06/08/politica/noticia/presidenciais-alberto-martins-declara-apoio-antonio-jose-seguro-2135978 |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=PÚBLICO |language=pt}}</ref> Following Seguro's victory, he was appointed to the Council of State.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-16 |title=Seguro escolhe Severiano Teixeira, Alberto Martins e três académicos para Conselho de Estado |url=https://expresso.pt/presidencia-republica/2026-04-16-seguro-escolhe-severiano-teixeira-alberto-martins-e-tres-academicos-para-conselho-de-estado-69de6e6c |access-date=2026-04-17 |website=Expresso |language=pt}}</ref>
He was made Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty in 1999, by President Jorge Sampaio. He was also made Grand Officer of the Order of Christ in 2024, by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-23 |title=Marcelo condecora militares, rosto da revolta académica de 1969, Renascença e Universidade do Minho |url=https://expresso.pt/politica/presidente/2024-04-23-marcelo-condecora-militares-rosto-da-revolta-academica-de-1969-renascenca-e-universidade-do-minho-6d288309 |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=Expresso |language=pt}}</ref>
==Published works== *"New Citizen's Rights' (Don Quixote, 1994) *'Right to Citizenship ", (Don, 2000 - Lisbon)
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://pace.coe.int/en/members/3050/martins PACE. Mr Alberto MARTINS (Portugal, SOC)] {{Refbegin}} *[http://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/GC18/Governo/Perfis/Pages/AlbertodeSousaMartins.aspx CV on Portugal Government Website] {{Refend}}
{{Council of State of Portugal}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martins, Alberto}} Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:Socialist Party (Portugal) politicians Category:Members of the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Category:20th-century Portuguese lawyers Category:People from Guimarães