His Excellency Paulo Portas was appointed minister of foreign affairs and minister of state for the Portuguese Republic in June 2011. He is also serving his sixth term as a member of the Portuguese Parliament, as well as his second term as president of the Democratic and Social Centre-People's Party (CDS-PP). Since entering politics in 1995, Portas has twice served as Portugal"s minister of national defense and has held posts in the Council of State, the High Council for Homeland Security and the High Council for National Defense. Previously a journalist for major publications including Tempo, A Tarde and Semanário, he founded and directed an opinion poll center and the weekly newspaper O Independente. Portas received a law degree from Portuguese Catholic University, where he taught a course on the history of political thought.
