Events in the year 2001 in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Jorge Sampaio Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. A member of the Socialist Party, a party which he led between 1989 an ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socia ...

(

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

)

Events

January to June

*14 January –

Presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

is re-elected for a second term as President after defeating his

Social Democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...

rival

Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral Joaquim Martins Ferreira do Amaral (born 13 April 1945) is a Portuguese former politician of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He was a candidate in the 2001 Portuguese presidential election, taking just under 35% of the vote and losing to incumbe ...

. Having achieved more than half of all ballots cast in the first round, Sampaio's vote tally eliminates the need for a second run-off round. Turnout falls to approximately 50%, the lowest in a presidential election since Portugal's return to democracy in 1974. *29 January – Heavy rainfall causes flooding across northern and central Portugal, cutting off villages and forcing the closure of roads and railway lines. The inclement weather leads to the deaths of six people and the sinking of a cargo ship carrying fertiliser off the Portuguese coast, whose crew of five are rescued from the Atlantic Ocean. *4 March – The Hintze Ribeiro bridge near the town of Entre-os-Rios in the

Porto District The District of Porto ( pt, Distrito do Porto ) is located on the north-west coast of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Porto, the second largest city in the country. It is bordered by the Aveiro and Viseu districts to the south, Br ...

collapses into the

Douro River The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

below, killing 59 people. In response Prime Minister

orders an official inquiry into the incident and accepts the resignation of Jorge Coelho, the Public Works Minister. The government additionally declares two days of national mourning. *11 March – In motor racing, Finland's

Tommi Mäkinen Tommi Antero Mäkinen (; born 26 June 1964) is a Finnish racing executive and former driver. Mäkinen is one of the most successful WRC drivers of all time, ranking fifth in rally wins (24) and third in championships (4), tied with Juha Kankkune ...

wins the 2001 Rally de Portugal. *24 March – Fourteen people are killed and a further 24 are injured when a tour bus crashes down a ravine after leaving the IP3 highway near Santa Comba Dao in the central

Viseu District The District of Viseu ( pt, Distrito de Viseu ) is located in the Central Inland of Portugal, the District Capital is the city of Viseu. Municipalities The district is composed by 24 municipalities: * Armamar * Carregal do Sal * Castro Daire * ...

. In response local residents stage a protest over the safety of the road, an action which follows similar demonstrations held in the months preceding the crash. *7 April – The 2001 Globos de Ouro media awards ceremony is held at the

Coliseu dos Recreios The Coliseu dos Recreios (also known as Coliseu de Lisboa) is a multi-purpose auditorium located in Lisbon, Portugal. History The main building was constructed within a metal lattice by Francisco Goulard between 1888 and 1890. While the facade ...

in Lisbon. ''

Capitães de Abril ''April Captains'' ( pt, Capitães de Abril) is a 2000 film telling the story of the '' Carnation Revolution'', the military coup that overthrew the corporatist dictatorship (known as the '' Estado Novo'') in Portugal on 25 April 1974. Although d ...

'' wins the prize for Best Film and

Vítor Norte Vítor Norte (born 29 January 1951) is a Portuguese actor. He won the Portuguese Golden Globe award for best actor three times. In 2002, he appeared in, and won, season 2 of the Portuguese reality television show ''Celebrity Big Brother''. B ...

('' Tarde Demais'') and

Maria de Medeiros Maria Esteves de Medeiros Victorino de Almeida, DamSE (born 19 August 1965), known professionally as Maria de Medeiros (), is a Portuguese actress, director, and singer who has been involved in both European and American film productions. Ear ...

(''Capitães de Abril'') are awarded Best Actor and Best Actress respectively. *18 May – In association football,

Boavista F.C. Boavista Futebol Clube, commonly known as Boavista (), is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Porto. Founded on 1 August 1903 by British entrepreneurs and Portuguese textile workers (thus the "FC" being appended – the British way as oppos ...

win the

2000–01 Primeira Liga The 2000–01 Primeira Liga was the 67th edition of the top flight of Portuguese football. It started on 19 August 2000 with a match between Braga and Vitória de Guimarães, and ended on 27 May 2001. The league was contested by 18 clubs, with S ...

after a 3–0 victory over

C.D. Aves Clube Desportivo das Aves (), commonly known as Desportivo das Aves, or simply as Aves, is a Portuguese professional football club based in Vila das Aves, Santo Tirso. The club was founded on 12 November 1930 and plays at the Estádio do Clube ...

. It is the club's maiden top-flight league championship title and marks the first time in more than five decades that the championship has been won by a team from outside the country's big three clubs of

F.C. Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...

S.L. Benfica Sport Lisboa e Benfica (), commonly known as Benfica, is a professional association football, football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football league system, Portuguese footba ...

, and

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

July to December

*1 July – A new law decriminalising the use of all previously prohibited drugs, including

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

and

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

, comes into effect. *25 August – Eleven people are injured when Transat Flight 236 carrying 304 passengers from Toronto to Lisbon is forced to make an emergency landing at

Lajes Airport Lajes Airport is located in the parish and Vila das Lajes, in the municipality of Praia da Vitória, on Terceira Island, in the Azores. Overview Lajes Airport not only serves Terceira but is also a hub providing international access to the Azo ...

in the Azores after a reported loss of power to all engines. *1 October – The legal

blood alcohol Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For example ...

limit for drivers is lowered from 0.5 to 0.2 milligrams per litre in a bid to reduce the number of road traffic accidents on Portugal's roads, which ranks as the highest in Europe. Fines imposed for speeding offences and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs are also increased. *13 December – The historic centre of the town of

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and a ...

is declared a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. *16 December –

Local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

: The Social Democratic Party wins control of 144 councils in what is seen as a comprehensive defeat for Prime Minister António Guterres'

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

, which in defiance of pre-election polls loses in its traditional strongholds of Lisbon and Porto. *17 December – President Jorge Sampaio accepts the resignation of Prime Minister António Guterres following the Socialist Party's defeat in the local elections, opening the possibility of a general election in early 2002. Sampaio nevertheless does not rule out naming an interim Prime Minister until the election's planned date in October 2003.

Arts and entertainment

Films

*''Ganhar a Vida'' ('' Get a Life'') by

João Canijo João Canijo (born 1957) is a Portuguese film director. His film '' Get a Life'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. His 2011 film ''Blood of My Blood'' was selected as the Portuguese entry for the Bes ...

. *''Vou Para Casa'' ('' I'm Going Home'') by

Manoel de Oliveira Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wo ...

Sports

Football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

competitions:

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

Liga de Honra The Liga Portugal 2 (), also known as Liga Portugal 2 SABSEG for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system. At the end of each season, the two top-finishing teams are promoted to the top-tier Prim ...

Births

*27 March – Gustavo Ribeiro, skateboarder.

Deaths

*31 July –

Francisco da Costa Gomes Francisco da Costa Gomes, ComTE, GOA (; 30 June 1914 – 31 July 2001) was a Portuguese military officer and politician, the 15th president of Portugal (the second after the Carnation Revolution). Life He was one of the eleven children of Ant� ...

, military officer and politician, President of Portugal (1974–1976) (born

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

References

{{Years in Portugal 2000s in Portugal

Years of the 21st century in Portugal