Antonio Guterres of Portugal was sworn in on Monday Dec 12,2016 as the secretary-general of the United Nations
Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres was sworn in as Secretary-General of the United Nations today, December 12, at a ceremony in which Portugal was represented by the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister António Costa.
António Guterres begins his five-year term of office on January 1, 2017.
He was sworn in by Peter Thompson, president of the 71st. session of the UN General Assembly.
Guterres' political career began when he was elected as a Socialist member of Parliament in 1976, just two years after Portugal’s democratic revolution. He earned the nickname “the talking jackhammer” for his strong speaking style. He became prime minister when the Socialists gained power in 1995.
Critics say he blocked reforms of Portugal’s strict anti-abortion laws in 1998. But he is more positively remembered for overseeing the transition to the eurozone in 1999, and for his leadership during Portugal’s turn in the rotating presidency of the European Union in 2000.
He resigned in 2001 as the Socialists fell out of favor.
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