António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes (born 25 January 1935) is a Portuguese

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who was the 16th

president of Portugal The president of Portugal, officially the president of the Portuguese Republic (, ), is the head of state and highest office of Portugal. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, and their relation with the prime minister ...

from 1976 to 1986.

Background

Born at

Alcains Alcains is a List of parishes of Portugal, civil parish in the Municipalities of Portugal, municipality of Castelo Branco Municipality, Castelo Branco in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 4,615, in an area of 36.94 km². Alcains is located ...

, Castelo Branco, he is the son of Manuel dos Santos Eanes, a

general contractor A contractor (North American English) or builder (British English), is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the c ...

, and Maria do Rosário Ramalho.

Political career

After a long military career in the

Portuguese Colonial War The Portuguese Colonial War (), also known in Portugal as the Overseas War () or in the Portuguese Empire, former colonies as the War of Liberation (), and also known as the Angolan War of Independence, Angolan, Guinea-Bissau War of Independence ...

s, Eanes was stationed in

Portuguese Angola In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...

when the 25 April revolution of 1974 took place. He joined the Movimento das Forças Armadas (MFA or Armed Forces Movement) and after returning to Portugal was made president of RTP (Portuguese public television). In January–February 1975, he emerged as a leader in the "operationals" faction within the Portuguese military that represented the professional interests of the

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

corps. Around the same time, he was cultivated by the new US embassy team of

Frank Carlucci Frank Charles Carlucci III ( ; October 18, 1930 – June 3, 2018) was an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of Defense from 1987 to 1989 in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. He was the first Italian A ...

, appointed in January 1975 by the

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...

at the advice of

Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DD/CIA) is a statutory office () and the second-highest official of the Central Intelligence Agency. The DD/CIA assists the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) and is author ...

General Vernon A. Walters with the mission of "getting the communists out of the government and keeping them out"; he joined

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

training programmes following selection by Colonel Robert Schuler and

Supreme Allied Commander Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

Alexander Haig Alexander Meigs Haig Jr. (; 2 December 192420 February 2010) was United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House chief of staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior to and in between these cabine ...

, and earned the description of "a boy scout for democracy" from Carlucci's deputy Herbert S. Okun. Eanes then ordered the military counter-coup of 25 November 1975 against the pro-

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

radical faction of the MFA, ending that year's " hot summer" (''Verão quente''). In June 1976 he was elected

President of Portugal The president of Portugal, officially the president of the Portuguese Republic (, ), is the head of state and highest office of Portugal. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, and their relation with the prime minister ...

with the backing of all political parties except the

Communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

, and simultaneously held the positions of the commander-in-chief of the

Portuguese Armed Forces The Portuguese Armed Forces () are the military of Portugal. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the other unified bodies and the three service branches: Portuguese Navy, Portuguese Army and Portuguese Air Force. The Presi ...

, chief of the Armed Forces General Staff, and head of the Council of the Revolution. He initially entrusted the

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 ...

with forming a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...

. In 1977, he established an independent commission to examine Portugal's economy, and after dismissing the Socialist PM

Mário Soares Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares (; 7 December 1924 – 7 January 2017) was a Portugal, Portuguese politician, who served as prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the List of Presidents of P ...

in August 1978 he appointed three successive

technocratic Technocracy is a form of government in which decision-makers appoint knowledge experts in specific domains to provide them with advice and guidance in various areas of their policy-making responsibilities. Technocracy follows largely in the tra ...

cabinets of Alfredo Nobre da Costa, Carlos Mota Pinto and Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, none of which lasted more than a year. At the end of

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

he was re-elected, serving until March 1986. After his presidency, he headed the Democratic Renewal Party (), and continued to support the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(PSD) minority government until 1987. He resigned in 1987 after being defeated by PSD in the legislative election. He is a member of the

Portuguese Council of State The Council of State (, ) is a body established by the Portuguese Constitution to advise the President of the Republic in the exercise of many of his or her discretionary powers. History Although there are notices about the existence of a Counci ...

, as a former elected

. Eanes is one of the most admired and respected figures in Portuguese public life due to his extreme humility and sense of civic duty. In the words of historian Tom Gallagher, he "had remained a popular figure despite the country's steady drift to the right" and "won the approval of many Portuguese of different persuasions as an honest man who was quite clearly not a member of the political class of Lisbon lawyers or Coimbra University professors which (regardless of the political system in being) had long dominated the country". Eanes once refused the honorary title of

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

, since he considered the title unnecessary. More recently, in February of 2025 he refused a 100,000 euro prize because ''the Fatherland does not owe anyone anything''. Years before Eanes had also refused to receive over one million euro in backpay from his military service.

Honours

National

PRT Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword - Grand Collar

Grand Collar of the Military Order of the Tower and Sword (GColTE, 9 March 1986) * PRT Military Order of Aviz - Grand Collar BAR

Grand Collar of the Military Order of Aviz (GColA, 10 June 2025) * PRT Military Order of Aviz - Knight BAR

Knight of the Military Order of Aviz (CvA, 19 January 1972) * PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Collar BAR

Grand Collar of the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry () is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese ''infante'' Prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery. M ...

(GColIH, 20 June 2016) * PRT Order of Liberty - Grand Collar BAR

Grand Collar of the

Order of Liberty The Order of Liberty, or the Order of Freedom (), is a Portuguese honorific civil order that distinguishes relevant services to the cause of democracy and freedom, in the defense of the values of civilization and human dignity. The order was cr ...

(GColL, 18 December 2015) * PRT Order of Liberty - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

(GCL, 25 April 2004)

Foreign

*: Collar (Athir) of the National Order of Merit (29 May 2005) *: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (7 June 1982) *: **Grand Collar of the

Order of the Southern Cross The National Order of the Southern Cross () is a Brazilian Orders, decorations, and medals of Brazil, order of chivalry founded by List of monarchs of Brazil, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, Pedro I on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate ...

(15 July 1980) **Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit (15 July 1980) *: Sash of the

Order of the Stara Planina Order (decoration), Orders, State decoration, decorations and medals of Bulgaria are regulated by the law on the Orders and Medals of the Republic of Bulgaria of 29 May 2003. The National Museum of Military History (Bulgaria), National Military H ...

(15 July 1980) *: Grand Cross of the (16 May 1984) *: Knight of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

(24 January 1985) *: Grand Collar of the

Order of Timor-Leste The Order of Timor-Leste () is the highest Order (honour), honour currently awarded by Timor-Leste. Established in 2009, the order was created after the original honours granted by Timor-Leste. It is of a more general and broader nature than the ...

(6 August 2012) *: Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sulta ...

(28 March 1984) *: Grand Cross of the National Order of Legion of Honour (5 March 1979) *: Grand Cross Special Class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

(15 July 1980) *: Grand Cross of the Order of Honour (7 February 1986) *: Collar of the

Order of Pope Pius IX The Order of Pope Pius IX (), also referred as the Pian Order (, ), is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. It is the highest honor currently conferred by the Holy See (two higher honors, the Supreme Order of C ...

(18 July 1980) *: First Class with diamonds of the Order of the Flag of the People's Republic of Hungary (15 July 1980) *: Grand Cross with Collar of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

(24 November 1983) *: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

(3 November 1980) *: Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (2 January 1985) *: First Class of the Order of Friendship and Peace (28 September 1983) *: Grand Cross with Collar of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(3 July 1980) *: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

(15 July 1980) *: Collar with swords of the

Order pro merito Melitensi The Order of Merit (; ) is the order of merit of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, established in 1920. It is awarded to recipients who have brought honour to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, promoted Christian values and for chari ...

(29 April 1983) *: **Collar of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

(15 July 1980) **Collar of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

(15 July 1980) *: **Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(14 November 1978) **Recipient of the

Royal Victorian Chain The Royal Victorian Chain is a State decoration, decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any Commonwealth realm government). It ranks above the Royal Victorian Or ...

(25 March 1985) *: **Great Star of the Order of the Yugoslav Star (17 October 1977) **Sash of the Order of the Yugoslav Flag (18 July 1980) *: Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Leopard (5 January 1984)

Family

He married at the

Palace of Queluz The Palace of Queluz (, ) is an 18th-century palace located at Queluz, Portugal, Queluz, a city of the Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District, on the Portuguese Riviera. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe,Lownde ...

on 28 October 1970 to Maria Manuela Duarte Neto Portugal (b. 29 December 1938), who was one of Portugal's most politically active First Ladies. They had two sons, Manuel António (b. 5 May 1972) and Miguel (b. 20 October 1977).

Electoral history

Presidential election, 1976

, - ! colspan="2" , Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px", % , - , style="background:;", , align=left , António Ramalho Eanes , , 2,967,137 , , 61.6 , - , style="background:#810000;", , align=left , Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho , , 792,760 , , 16.5 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , José Pinheiro de Azevedo , , 692,147 , , 14.4 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , Octávio Pato , , 365,586 , , 7.6 , - , colspan="2" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 63,495 , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="2" align="left", Turnout , 4,881,125 , , 75.47 , - , colspan="4" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Presidential election, 1980

, - ! colspan="2" , Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px", % , - , style="background:;", , align=left , António Ramalho Eanes , , 3,262,520 , , 56.4 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , António Soares Carneiro , , 2,325,481 , , 40.2 , - , style="background:#810000;", , align=left , Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho , , 85,896 , , 1.5 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , Carlos Galvão de Melo , , 48,468 , , 0.8 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , António Pires Veloso , , 45,132 , , 0.8 , - , style="background:red;", , align=left , António Aires Rodrigues , , 12,745 , , 0.2 , - , colspan="2" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 60,090 , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="2" align="left", Turnout , 5,840,332 , , 84.39 , - , colspan="4" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

PRD leadership election, 1986

, - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! align="center" colspan=2 style="width: 60px", Candidate ! align="center" style="width: 50px", Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px", % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left , António Ramalho Eanes , colspan="2" align=right , ''

Voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

'' , - , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" , Turnout , align=right , , align=right , 100.0 , - , colspan="4" align=left, Source: Results

Legislative election, 1987

, - ! colspan="2" , Party ! Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px", % ! align="center" style="width: 50px", Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px", +/− , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PSD , align=left ,

Aníbal Cavaco Silva Aníbal António Cavaco Silva (; born 15 July 1939) is a Portuguese economist and politician who served as the 19th president of Portugal, from 9 March 2006 to 9 March 2016, and as prime minister of Portugal, from 6 November 1985 to 25 October ...

, , 2,850,784 , , 50.2 , , 148 , , style="color:green;", +60 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PS , align=left , Vítor Constâncio , , 1,262,506 , , 22.2 , , 60 , , style="color:green;", +3 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDU , align=left ,

Álvaro Cunhal Álvaro Barreirinhas Cunhal (; 10 November 1913 – 13 June 2005) was a Portuguese communist revolutionary and politician. He was one of the major opponents of the dictatorial regime of the '' Estado Novo''. He served as secretary-general of the P ...

, , 689,137 , , 12.1 , , 31 , , style="color:red;", –7 , - , style="background:green;", , align="left", PRD , align=left , António Ramalho Eanes , , 278,561 , , 4.9 , , 7 , , style="color:red;", –38 , - , style="background:;", , align="left",

CDS CDS, CDs, Cds, etc. may refer to: Finance * Canadian Depository for Securities, Canadian post-trade financial services company * Certificate of deposit (CDs) * Counterfeit Deterrence System, developed by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence ...

, align=left ,

Adriano Moreira Adriano José Alves Moreira, ComC GCC GOIH GCSE (6 September 1922 – 23 October 2022) was a Portuguese lawyer, professor and a leading political figure in Portugal throughout the second half of the 20th century. Education Adriano Moreira ...

, , 251,987 , , 4.4 , , 4 , , style="color:red;", –18 , - , style="background:white;", , colspan="2" align="left", Other parties , 219,715 , , 3.9 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , colspan="3" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 123,668 , , 2.2 , , – , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="3" align="left", Turnout , 5,676,358 , , 71.57 , , 250 , , ±0 , - , colspan="7" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Notes

References

Sources

* *

External links

Biography in Portuguese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eanes, Antonio Ramalho 1935 births Living people People from Castelo Branco, Portugal Portuguese military officers Presidents of Portugal Democratic Renewal Party (Portugal) politicians Grand Collars of the Order of Aviz Knights of the Order of Aviz Grand Crosses of the Order of Liberty Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Order of the Tower and Sword Recipients of the Order of Timor-Leste 20th-century Portuguese politicians Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century presidents in Europe