The lieutenant general was appointed by the National Defense Minister, Nuno Melo, who announced the creation of this commission on August 28.
A biographical note released by the ministry states that Alípio Tomé Pinto played a decisive role on November 25, 1975, alongside then lieutenant colonel Ramalho Eanes, significantly aiding the consolidation of democracy in Portugal.
Tomé Pinto was born in the municipality of Torre de Moncorvo, district of Bragança, in 1936, and holds a degree in Military Sciences, having pursued a career in the Army.
At the age of 30, he was promoted with distinction to major, reaching the rank of general officer by around 45 years of age.
Between 1961 and 1974, he was in the Overseas War in Angola and Guinea, where his actions were recognized as “heroic acts of extraordinary selflessness and bravery,” receiving the highest decorations, including the Military Valor Medal, according to the ministry’s note.
He commanded the National Republican Guard (GNR) from August 1982 to January 1988 and was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army until March 1991.
In June 1991, he was appointed Portugal’s representative on the Joint Commission for the Training of the Angolan Armed Forces (under the Bicesse Agreement) and in May 1993 was named judge at the Supreme Military Tribunal.
On August 28, the Government, meeting in the Council of Ministers, approved the creation of a commission to promote and organize the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the military operation of November 25, 1975.
At that time, Nuno Melo detailed that it would be composed of nine members, including a president appointed by the Ministry of Defense and three vice-presidents appointed by the President of the Assembly of the Republic after consultation with parliamentary parties.
This commission will also include a representative appointed by the Minister of Culture, the Director-General of National Defense Policy, the President of the Portuguese Military History Commission, a representative of the Historical Society of National Independence, and a representative of the Commandos Association.
Nuno Melo considered that the composition of this commission ensured the “transversality and non-partisan nature” of the structure.
The work begins in November and will be completed by May 2026.
In 2024, the Assembly of the Republic marked the date for the first time with a solemn session following the model of the 50th anniversary ceremony of April 25, after the CDS presented a resolution project recommending the annual organization of a session to celebrate the commemoration.
Of the dozens of entities invited to this ceremony, the April 25 Association and former members of the Group of Nine declined the invitation, considering that the date is being distorted and cannot be equated with April 25.
The events of November 25, when opposing military forces clashed and the so-called moderate wing of the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) prevailed, marked the end of the so-called Ongoing Revolutionary Process (PREC).
