This year, in a move to mark the 50th anniversary of November 25th, the Portuguese government has announced the formation of a commission in August to organize the celebrations. This follows the first-ever solemn session dedicated to the date at the Assembleia da República last year.
The commemorations will include a solemn session in parliament akin to the April 25th celebrations, and a military parade in Lisbon’s Praça do Comércio, similar to the one held during the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in 2024.
The near-equivalence of the celebrations for both dates has drawn unanimous criticism from the left, accusing the right of attempting to diminish April 25th’s significance. The left argues that the two dates are not comparable.
This disagreement was particularly evident in a recent leaders’ conference at the Assembleia da República in October, where all left-wing parties opposed a proposal by IL, backed by CDS-PP and Chega, to replicate the external banners and floral arrangements of the April 25th session for November 25th.
As the anniversary approaches, all left-wing parties, except the PS, have declared their absence from the military parade. The PCP also intends to boycott the solemn session in parliament, as they did last year.
While the PS will participate in the military parade, they have announced a separate program to commemorate the event and have declined to join the government-commissioned committee. The PS argues it obscures “the central role” of Mário Soares and aims to “create a narrative of confrontation and polarization.”
Eurico Brilhante Dias, the PS parliamentary leader, commented in August, “The PS cannot support this Council of Ministers resolution or this committee that separates November 25th from April 25th, 1974. It does so not only by concealing the central role of Mário Soares and the PS but also because it seeks to rewrite history.”
The committee, chaired by Lieutenant General Alípio Tomé Pinto, includes only right-wing parties (PSD, Chega, and IL), a move criticized by November 25th protagonist Colonel Vasco Lourenço as “a farce.”
“They have the audacity to call it an independent, non-partisan commission, but who are they fooling? Look in the mirror and be ashamed of the face you see reflected back,” Lourenço accused.
Despite such critiques from the left, the event will be celebrated with honors similar to those of the April 25th anniversary. According to Nuno Melo, Minister of Defense and CDS-PP leader, these celebrations uphold “the state’s duty toward a fundamental date for the consolidation of democracy and freedom.”
“November 25th restored April 25th’s original purpose. April 25th allowed for regime change with the intention of handing power to the people, while November 25th curtailed the totalitarian drift and affirmed the democratic regime,” stated Nuno Melo in August when announcing the commission’s formation.
