Aristides Raimundo Lima
- politico
Aristides Raimundo Lima was born on August 31, 1955 Sal-Rei, Boavista. Fully dedicated to the political struggle for Cape Verde's independence, Aristides Lima became a member of the PAIGC after April 25, participating in the mobilization for the 1975 elections. He was also one of the promoters of the Preparatory Cycle in Boa Vista, where he taught Portuguese and French between 1974 and 1976, as well as a journalist in the weekly newspaper "Voz di Povo" between 1976 and 1978.
In 1983, Aristides Lima graduated with distinction in Law from the University of Leipzig. Later, he obtained a Master's degree at the Universities of Heidelberg and Mannheim with a dissertation in Constitutional Law, obtaining the highest classification. However, he did not fail to contribute, internally, to the development of his country, performing various functions in the Cape Verdean Public Administration, having also been a journalist, Legal Adviser to the President of the Republic Aristides Pereira, Senior Technician and Director in the Ministry of Justice. For several years, he taught subjects such as Legal Culture, State Theory and Constitutional Law, History of Contemporary Political Institutions and Introduction to the Cape Verdean Legal-Environmental System at the Amílcar Cabral Institute.
Lima has held important political positions in the country, working in the National Secretariat of the PAICV with Olívio Pires and José Araújo, among others, having made an important contribution to the process of transition to democracy. Several of the laws of the transition process, including the Constitutional Revision Law of 1990 and the first Law of Political Parties of Cape Verde, had their collaboration. He was elected (1993) and re-elected head of the PAICV, at the time Secretary General, and was a candidate for Prime Minister in 1996. He was also elected to the III Legislature in 1985 and was re-elected 4 times.
Aristides Lima was the first parliamentary leader of the PAICV to lay the organisational and legal foundations for the functioning of the Parliamentary Group in the context of competitive democracy. He held this position from 1991 to 1998, when the function of deputy was not remunerated for many years. Members of Parliament did not exercise their mandate on a full-time basis and could combine it with administrative and other functions. As a deputy, he was the author of several draft laws, especially in matters related to the Strengthening of the Democratic Rule of Law.
In 2001, Lima was elected President of the National Assembly, the second highest office in the state hierarchy, and was re-elected in 2006 for a second term. Since 2001, he has served as a member of the Council of the Republic, an auxiliary body to consult the Head of State.
As President of the National Assembly, Aristides R. Lima committed himself to the modernisation of the Parliament, bringing to Cape Verde personalities from the European, African and American academic world, as well as different Presidents of National Assemblies of countries that have traditional relations with Cape Verde. This initiative aimed to bring the Parliament closer to society and contributed to the transformation of the Parliament into a democracy. Lima also developed the cooperation of the National Assembly with several international partners. In 2004, Aristides Lima was honoured with one of the highest distinctions in the country, the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Horst Köhler, not only for his commitment to the development of the Cape Verdean rule of law, but also for his contribution to strengthening cooperation between Germany and Cape Verde.
Aristides Raimundo Lima was born on August 31, 1955 Sal-Rei, Boavista. Fully dedicated to the political struggle for Cape Verde's independence, Aristides Lima became a member of the PAIGC after April 25, participating in the mobilization for the 1975 elections. He was also one of the promoters of the Preparatory Cycle in Boa Vista, where he taught Portuguese and French between 1974 and 1976, as well as a journalist in the weekly newspaper "Voz di Povo" between 1976 and 1978.
In 1983, Aristides Lima graduated with distinction in Law from the University of Leipzig. Later, he obtained a Master's degree at the Universities of Heidelberg and Mannheim with a dissertation in Constitutional Law, obtaining the highest classification. However, he did not fail to contribute, internally, to the development of his country, performing various functions in the Cape Verdean Public Administration, having also been a journalist, Legal Adviser to the President of the Republic Aristides Pereira, Senior Technician and Director in the Ministry of Justice. For several years, he taught subjects such as Legal Culture, State Theory and Constitutional Law, History of Contemporary Political Institutions and Introduction to the Cape Verdean Legal-Environmental System at the Amílcar Cabral Institute.
Lima has held important political positions in the country, working in the National Secretariat of the PAICV with Olívio Pires and José Araújo, among others, having made an important contribution to the process of transition to democracy. Several of the laws of the transition process, including the Constitutional Revision Law of 1990 and the first Law of Political Parties of Cape Verde, had their collaboration. He was elected (1993) and re-elected head of the PAICV, at the time Secretary General, and was a candidate for Prime Minister in 1996. He was also elected to the III Legislature in 1985 and was re-elected 4 times.
Aristides Lima was the first parliamentary leader of the PAICV to lay the organisational and legal foundations for the functioning of the Parliamentary Group in the context of competitive democracy. He held this position from 1991 to 1998, when the function of deputy was not remunerated for many years. Members of Parliament did not exercise their mandate on a full-time basis and could combine it with administrative and other functions. As a deputy, he was the author of several draft laws, especially in matters related to the Strengthening of the Democratic Rule of Law.
In 2001, Lima was elected President of the National Assembly, the second highest office in the state hierarchy, and was re-elected in 2006 for a second term. Since 2001, he has served as a member of the Council of the Republic, an auxiliary body to consult the Head of State.
As President of the National Assembly, Aristides R. Lima committed himself to the modernisation of the Parliament, bringing to Cape Verde personalities from the European, African and American academic world, as well as different Presidents of National Assemblies of countries that have traditional relations with Cape Verde. This initiative aimed to bring the Parliament closer to society and contributed to the transformation of the Parliament into a democracy. Lima also developed the cooperation of the National Assembly with several international partners. In 2004, Aristides Lima was honoured with one of the highest distinctions in the country, the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Horst Köhler, not only for his commitment to the development of the Cape Verdean rule of law, but also for his contribution to strengthening cooperation between Germany and Cape Verde.
