(FILES) This file photo taken on December 7, 2013 shows former Portuguese President Mario Soares looking on during a meeting at Republic Square in Viana do Castelo, northern Portugal. Mario Soares, widely seen as the father of Portugal's modern-day democracy, was a towering figure in the country's political scene who spearheaded its entry into the European Union. The founder of Portugal's Socialist party, Soares -- who died on January 7, 2017 at the age of 92 -- spent decades in politics, serving as foreign minister, prime minister and president as well as European lawmaker. / AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL RIOPA