The Portuguese government eventually made a firm decision to build the dam in the 1990s, during the Cavaco Silva and António Guterres governments.
On 22 May 2012 Geoffrey Hull was awarded the honour of Comendador da Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique (Knight Commander of the Order of Prince Henry) by the President of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, for services to the Portuguese language.
He belonged to the Political Committee of candidate Aníbal Cavaco Silva in the 2011 presidential elections.
The re-election of the hugely popular Mário Soares was never in doubt, specially after the then-ruling PSD, led by prime-minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva announced its support.
The result was a victory in the first round for Aníbal Cavaco Silva of the Social Democratic Party candidate, the former Prime Minister, won 50.54 percent of the vote in the first round, just over the majority required to avoid a runoff election.
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Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Prime Minister from 1985 to 1995, supported by the Social Democratic Party and by the People's Party;
The prize was presented by Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva at a ceremony in the Portuguese Senate Room at the National Parliament.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva | Aníbal Cavaco Silva | Wanderlei Silva | Marina Silva | Thiago Silva | Marina Silva | Thiago Silva (footballer) | Sullivan Silva | Joke Silva | Giant Silva | Aravinda de Silva | Aníbal Troilo | Aníbal Sánchez | Aníbal Ibarra | Aníbal Acevedo Vilá | Silva | Giovanni Silva de Oliveira | Eduardo Da Silva | Clarence Richard Silva | Assuerio Silva | António José da Silva | Anibal Ramos, Jr. | Aníbal Fernández | Washington Roberto Mariano da Silva | Walter de'Silva | Silva, Missouri | Silva Jardim | Silva compass | Shavendra Silva | Rogério Dutra da Silva |
Present at the ceremony were representatives of various European royal and noble houses, President of the Republic Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Prime Minister Mário Soares, and President of the Assembly António Barbosa de Melo, among others.
Maria Alves da Silva Cavaco Silva (born São Bartolomeu de Messines, 19 March 1938) is the wife of Aníbal Cavaco Silva, incumbent President of the Portuguese Republic and, as such, is the current First Lady of Portugal, since her husband's election in 2006.