| President of the National Salvation Junta | |
| Order: | 1st |
|---|---|
| Term of Office | April 25, 1974 (with powers of head of state and government) - May 15, 1974 (just with powers of head of government) - May 16, 1974 (just president of the NSJ) - September 30, 1974 |
| Predecessor: | Américo Thomaz (as head of state) Marcello Caetano (as head of government) |
| Successor: | Himself (as President of the Republic) Adelino da Palma Carlos (as Prime Minister) Francisco da Costa Gomes (as President of the NSJ) |
| President of Portugal | |
| Order: | 15th (1st since the Carnation revolution) |
| Term of Office | May 15, 1974 - September 30, 1974 |
| Predecessor: | Américo Thomaz (effective) Himself (interim, as President of the NSJ) |
| Successor: | Francisco da Costa Gomes |
| Date of Birth | April 11, 1910 |
| Place of Birth: | Estremoz |
| Date of Death | August 13, 1996 |
| Place of Death: | Lisbon |
| Wife: | Maria Helena Martin Monteiro de Barros |
| Occupation: | Military officer (Marshal) |
| Political Party: | Independent |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
António Sebastião Ribeiro Spínola (generally called de Spínola, though this particular surname never had a particle), GCTE, ComA (Estremoz, Santo André, April 11, 1910 - Lisbon, August 13, 1996) was a Portuguese soldier and politician. He was a son of António Sebastião Spínola and first wife Maria Gabriela Alves Ribeiro.
Spínola entered the Colégio Militar in 1920, beginning what would be a very successful military career. By 1928 he joined Portugal's Military Academy where he stood out as a young and promising cavalry officer.
In Lisbon, Anjos, in August, 1932 he married Maria Helena Martin Monteiro de Barros (January 14, 1913 - May 23, 2002), daughter of João de Azevedo Monteiro de Barros and wife Gertrud Elisabete Martin, by whom he had no issue.
Spinola served in several positions in Portugal's rebellious colonies in Africa. In 1961 Spínola was sent to Angola, and in 1968 Spinola was appointed as the 42nd Governor of Portuguese Guinea and Chief of the Army Forces there. In 1973 he was invited to be the Minister of the Colonies, but he refused. A year later Spínola became Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, but was dismissed after difficulties with the government.
On April 25, 1974, the authoritarian regime in Portugal was overthrown by the Carnation Revolution in which General Spinola did not play an important role. However Prime-Minister Marcelo Caetano insisted he would only surrender power to Spínola. The general negotiated the surrender and seized this opportunity to present himself as the leader of the revolution, subsequently becoming President of the Republic on May 15. As a conservative he disliked the leftist direction of the revolution and tried to avoid the independence of the colonies.
Spínola met with Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, on September 15, 1974 on Sal island in the Cape Verde, crafting a plan to empower Holden Roberto of the National Liberation Front of Angola, Jonas Savimbi of UNITA, and Daniel Chipenda of the MPLA's eastern faction at MPLA leader Agostinho Neto's expense while retaining the facade of national unity. Mobutu and Spínola wanted to diminish Neto's standing and present Chipenda as the MPLA head, Mobutu particularly preferring Chipenda to Neto because Chipenda supported autonomy for Cabinda and Neto did not. The Angolan exclave has immense petroleum reserves estimated at around 300 million tons which Zaire, and thus the Mobutu government, depended on for economic survival. He resigned fifteen days later on September 30, 1974, after just 4 months in power, when he realized he would not be able to block the application of the MFA program.
Spínola became involved in a right-wing coup attempt in March 11, 1975 and fled the country after its failure. He was eventually rehabilitated after the November 25, 1975 coup. In 1981 Spínola was promoted to the highest rank in the Army, Field Marshal.