About António Costa
António Luís Santos da Costa (born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has served as president of the European Council since 2024. He previously served as prime minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024 and secretary-general of the Socialist Party from 2014 to 2024. Born in Lisbon, Costa was secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs from 1995 to 1997, minister of Parliamentary Affairs from 1997 to 1999, minister of Justice from 1999 to 2002, minister of Home Affairs from 2005 to 2007, as well as mayor of Lisbon from 2007 to 2015. Costa was elected secretary-general of the Socialist Party in 2014. Costa's near nine-year tenure as prime minister is the second longest, with Costa also being the longest-serving politician in government functions, in Portuguese democracy, and the longest of any Iberian Peninsula national leader in the 21st century. On 7 November 2023, Costa resigned following an investigation involving members of his government in connection with alleged corruption and malfeasance in handling lithium mining and hydrogen projects in the country. The president of Portugal decided to dissolve Parliament and called for a snap election. Costa stayed as prime minister in a caretaker capacity until 2 April 2024, when he was succeeded by Luís Montenegro. In December 2024, Costa succeeded Charles Michel as president of the European Council. As president of the European Council, Costa reaffirmed support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Costa's first role in a Socialist government was as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs under Prime Minister António Guterres between 1997 and 1999. Costa graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in the 1980s when he first entered politics and was elected as a Socialist deputy to the municipal council. In the 2002 legislative election, Costa was elected a member of parliament from the district of Leiria and, due to the defeat of the PS in this election, became the party's parliamentary leader in opposition.
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