Alberto João Jardim
Alberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim, , (, born 4 February 1943) is a Portuguese politician who was the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal, from 1978 to 2015. He is a controversial political figure in Portugal. Early years. Jardim was born on Madeira Island in 1943, son of Alberto Gonçalves Jardim (d. 1954) and wife Marceliana do Patrocínio de Jesus Cardoso (Funchal, São Pedro, baptized 2 September 1909 – 29 July 2006). He went to Coimbra in order to study at the local university, and he lived there for over a decade as a student. He was awarded  a degree of Licentiate in Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra in 1973. Jardim became a secondary school teacher. He was also director of the "Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional da Ilha da Madeira" (Employment and Vocational Training Centre of Madeira Island). As a journalist, he was director of "Jornal da Madeira", and wrote for different Portuguese newspapers and magazines. Politics. He was one of the Founders of the then Popular Democratic Party (PPD) in May 1974, a month after the Carnation Revolution, together with Francisco Sá Carneiro, Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Joaquim Magalhães Mota , Carlos Mota Pinto, João Bosco Mota Amaral, António Barbosa de Melo and António Marques Mendes, and co-founder of its Madeiran branch. First elected in 1978 at the age of 35, Alberto João Jardim was then successively elected President of the Regional Government of Madeira 10 times. He is a member of the: He is one of the longest-serving, democratically elected leaders of any jurisdiction in the world. Alberto João Jardim is also a member and former Vice President (2000–2001) of the European Union Committee of the Regions. He is Honorary President of the European Summit of Regions & Cities . He is the founder and a member of the Assembly of European Regions. He was Vice President of European People's Party. On 19 February 2007, he resigned from his office in protest against the new law on regional finances enacted by the national government of José Sócrates. Due to his resignation, early elections had to be scheduled, which he won easily. The national government, nevertheless, announced that the law wouldn't be changed. On 8 January 2011, he suffered a heart attack but recovered and won elections again on 9 October 2011, after winning he promised to resign in  early 2015. On 12 January 2015 he retired as President of the Social Democratic Party of Madeira, elections were held and Miguel Albuquerque succeeded him as President of the Social Democratic Party of Madeira. On 14 February 2015 during the carnival of Madeira which Alberto usually participated, he wore a Greek traditional hat, he stated that it was to show his solidarity for the people of Greece and Syriza. He also warned that the new government of Madeira that will replace him should be strong and not bow to the government of Lisbon, because the people of Madeira want strong  leadership because Madeira has been robbed by Lisbon for 5 and half centuries, therefore justifying the financial hole that occurred during the later part of his Presidency and if they fail to deliver Je suis un Syriza (I am a Syriza) (It has been speculated that this could mean he would make a comeback if Madeira needed him). On 29 March 2015 regional elections were held and Alberto ruled himself out as he had said he would in 2011, Miguel Albuquerque won the election and became the new president on 20 April 2015. Family. In 1968 he married Maria Ângela  Andrade Martins (born 1940) and had three children: Controversies. A controversial personality, Jardim is usually seen as an outspoken populist, who is infamous for his often outspoken remarks about his political opponents, from left to right, including several journalists. As Madeira's democratically elected political leader for over 30 years, he has many supporters who view him as a responsible and proactive governor, particularly well regarded in the Archipelago of Madeira proper. Despite his confrontational, explosive and sometimes impolite personality, Jardim has claimed many benefits and privileges for Madeira, helping the region to improve in several fields throughout the years  it has been under his leadership. However, the European Union assistance to its ultra-peripheral regions, which includes the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira, has played a major role in the region's development; Madeira's development has been massively aided by structural and cohesion funds allocated by the European Union to the regional government. In addition, Jardim's government of the autonomous region was financially supported, decade across decade, by massive public debt creation and wild over-expenditure. An even more surprising scandal was reported on 16 September 2011, when Portugal's central bank said Madeira island had under-reported  its debt since 2004, putting further pressure on the country to meet deficit targets under an international bailout. An evaluation conducted by the Bank of Portugal of Madeira's accounts showed it failed to report EUR1.1 billion ($1.53 billion) in debt from 2008 to 2010 alone. The Bank of Portugal called the omission "grave," adding it doesn't know of any similar cases in the rest of the country. The debt was finally totaled at €6 billion, €3 billion less than the total that Alberto said mainland Portugal owed Madeira. His name has been often associated with  FLAMA, the archipelago's defunct far-right separatist terrorist organization that undertook 70 bombings in Madeira between 1975 and 1978. Although no FLAMA activists were ever brought to justice, Alberto João Jardim has often supported their cause, stating that "they should receive a reward not a punishment, since they're defenders of democracy and of the homeland".