Parliament unanimously approves vote of condolence on Rui Nabeiro’s death

This Friday, Parliament unanimously approved the expression of condolence presented by the President of the Assembly of the Republic on the death of Rui Nabeiro, a businessman from Campo Mayor, in which his humanism and social conscience stand out.

Rui Nabeiro died on Sunday at the age of 91 in Lisbon, and the heads of the main sovereign bodies arrived at his funeral on Tuesday in Campo Maior: President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Parliament Augusto Santos. Silva and Prime Minister António Costa.

With family members of Rui Nabeiro in the galleries, even before the vote, former Secretary of State and Socialist MP Ricardo Pinheiro delivered an emotional speech that drew applause from all the stands.

Ricardo Pinheiro described the Campo Maior businessman as “a unique person” with a great ability to “inspire people”.

“That’s how it happened to me. It inspired Portugal,” he said, noting that Rui Nabeiro, a socialist, especially appreciates cross-party understanding.

Chega’s parliamentary leader, Pedro Pinto, also praised the figure of Rui Nabeiro, considering him “a great example for the youth” and “a huge Portuguese”.

The vote, authored by Augusto Santos Silva, noted that Rui Nabeiro was “an outstanding businessman, endowed with an unusual social sensibility, who earned the respect and admiration of the Portuguese.”

“After finishing primary school, Rui Nabeiro built one of the most successful businesses in Portugal (Delta Cafés), firmly rooted in his homeland. This is already enough for public recognition,” the text says.

However, according to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, “Rui Nabeiro was much more than a traditional businessman.”

“He was a man of genuine social conscience who understood (and practiced) business activity as striving for the common good. Rui Nabeiro was an excellent employer, a friend of his workers, a mayor (he was the mayor of Campo Mayor) and an exemplary citizen. A person whose life path has long been an occasion for admiration, which should inspire everyone,” he says.

The vote also highlights that Rui Nabeiro considered himself “a socialist, mainly because he grew up in the region, the Alentejo of his childhood, where, he said, people felt that their children had no future.”

“This shaped his humanitarian and supportive profile, his concern for others, in particular the children of his land, which he served as a businessman, mayor and citizen. As it became publicly and infamously known after the news of his death, Rui Nabeiro misses. along with many who have had the honor of knowing him and being touched by his professionalism and generosity,” it also notes.

This text notes that Rui Nabeiro had “many public awards, such as conferring in 1995 by the President of the Republic Mário Soares the title of Commander of the Civil Order for Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial Merit – Industrial Class, or, in 2006, by President Jorge Sampaio with the rank Commander of the Order of the Infante D. Enrique. “He has also received honorary doctorates from the University of Évora, the University of Lusofona and, most recently, the University of Coimbra,” he adds.