regarding Portuguese strategy in the theater of war. The distribution of his first books was forbidden by Salazar's government, so they circulated in samizdat form. Alegre returned to Portugal in 1974, one week after the Carnation Revolution. He joined the Socialisty Party almost immediately, and was elected to Parliament in every election since 1975. He is currently one of the vice-presidents of Parliament, and sits in the President's advisory Council of State. Several of his poems were made into songs, sung among others by Zeca Afonso and Adriano Correia de Oliveira, and played by Carlos Paredes. His words were set to music by Tony Haynes on world jazz ensemble Grand Union Orchestra's 1997 album, The Rhythm of Tides. One of his poems Uma flor de verde pinho won 1976's Festival RTP da Canção, who represented Portugal in Eurovision Song Contest. In 2004, he lost to José Sócrates a bid for the party leadership. In 2005, a statue in his honour was erected in Coimbra. On 24 September 2005, he announced that he would be a candidate in the 2006 Portuguese presidential election, despite his party's official support for former president Mário Soares as a candidate. On the elections held 22 January 2006, he ended up collecting 20.7% of the valid votes (the second largest amount after the elected President, Cavaco Silva, and ahead of his party's official candidate Mário Soares). He is also a Member of the Portuguese Council of State, elected by the Assembly of the Republic. Decorations Grand-Cross of the Order of Liberty, Portugal (19 May 1989) Grand-Cross of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, Portugal (20 May 2016) Family He was once married to Isabel Sousa Pires, born in Figueira da Foz, without issue, and is now married to Mafalda Maria de Campos Durão Ferreira, born in Lisbon, 13 December 1947, daughter of António Durão Ferreira and wife Fernanda Furtado de Antas de Campos and only sister of António Miguel de Campos Durão Ferreira (b. 21 January 1946, unmarried), and has three children: Francisco Durão Ferreira Alegre Duarte Afonso Durão Ferreira Alegre Duarte (b. 1976) Joana Durão Ferreira Alegre Duarte (b. 1985) Electoral results 2006 Portuguese presidential election Manuel Alegre finished second with 1,138,297 votes (20.74%). 2011 Portuguese presidential election Manuel Alegre finished second with 831,838 votes (19.74%). Bibliography Poetry Praça da Canção (1965) O Canto e as Armas (1967) Um Barco para Ítaca