Lígia Fonseca
Lígia Fonseca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Lady of Cape Verde | |
| In role 9 September 2011 – 9 November 2021 | |
| President | Jorge Carlos Fonseca |
| Preceded by | Adélcia Barreto Pires |
| Succeeded by | Débora Katisa Carvalho |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lígia Arcângela Lubrino Dias 24 August 1963 Beira, Portuguese Mozambique |
| Political party | Movement for Democracy |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Three |
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Lígia Arcângela Lubrino Dias Fonseca (born 24 August 1963) is a
Biography
Fonseca was born Lígia Arcângela Lubrino Dias in Beira, Portuguese Mozambique, on 24 August 1963, to Canta Dias and Máximo Dias.[3][4] Her father, Máximo Dias, was a Mozambican lawyer, politician and leader of the MONAMO political party.[3][4] In 1976, her family moved to Lisbon, Portugal, due to political instability in Mozambique.[3]
Dias remained in Lisbon, despite hopes of returning to Beira.[3] She enrolled in the Faculty of Law at the University of Lisbon, where she earned her law degree.[3][4] She met her future husband, Jorge Carlos Fonseca, who is Cape Verdean, in 1987 while attending the university.[3] The couple married on March 26, 1989, at a ceremony in Portugal.[3] They have three daughters.[4]
They then moved to Macau, where her husband had been hired as a law professor at the University of Macau.[3] The couple moved to Cape Verde in 1991, marking the first time she had lived in an African country since leaving Mozambique in 1976.[3]
On April 30, 2001, Fonseca became the first woman to be elected President of the Cape Verdian Lawyers' Association (Ordem dos Advogados de Cabo Verde).[1][2][5] A dissenting group of lawyers argued that she had not been a member of OAC for at least 10 years, but her election was upheld.[2] Fonseca's inauguration as the first female head of the OAC took place on 19 May 2001.[5] She served as President from 2001 until 2004, when she was succeeded by Dr. Carlos Alberto Veiga.[5]
Jorge Carlos Fonseca was elected President in the second round of the 2011 Cape Verdean presidential election, making Lígia Fonseca the fourth First Lady of Cape Verde.[4] Lígia Fonseca sought to focus on social issues during her tenure.[3][4] She continued to practice law as an active lawyer after becoming first lady.[3]
Honours
Foreign honours
Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (22 November 2017)[6]
Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (10 December 2018)[citation needed]
References
- ^ AllAfrica.com. 2 May 2001. Archived from the originalon 5 May 2001. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Woman heads Cape Verde's lawyers association". PanaPress. 2 May 2001. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Lígia Dias Fonseca — Dedicação e trabalho em prol do bem-estar social". Nós Genti. 28 July 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Presidente-eleito de Cabo Verde é genro de Máximo Dias". Correio da Manhã. 24 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Ordem dos Advogados de Cabo Verde breve historia". Cape Verdian Lawyers' Association. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ Presidencia