A commission established by the government to commemorate the 50th anniversary of November 25 is organizing a military parade on Tuesday at 09:00 in Praça do Comércio, Lisbon. The event will be presided over by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Among the left-wing parties with parliamentary representation, only the Socialist Party (PS) will attend the military parade. An official source from the PS parliamentary group stated that the party will attend despite not being part of the commission, as they believe it inadequately overlaps with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of April 25. PS will be represented by the coordinator of the Defense committee, deputy Luís Dias.
All other left-wing parties indicated they would not participate in the military parade. However, all, except the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), plan to attend the subsequent solemn session in the Assembly of the Republic.
Livre confirmed participation in the solemn session but not in the military parade, stating, “We will participate where we can set an agenda and express our views about the future of a European Portugal that November 25 helped shape.”
The PCP asserted that they do not support the initiatives marking the 50th anniversary of April 25, arguing they attempt to diminish its achievements and falsely represent November 25. “Therefore, they will not attend the related events, viewing them as an unacceptable affront to April 25,” the party specified.
The Left Bloc (BE) and the PAN will attend the solemn session but not the military parade.
The events of November 25, where opposing military forces clashed and the moderate wing of the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) prevailed, marked the end of the ongoing Revolutionary Process (PREC).
