“We never had such a campaign.” Elections for the constituent were 50 years ago

During the 20 days of the electoral campaign for the Constituent Assembly there were over 300 political events and “huge violence”.

“We have never had a similar campaign again, in terms of political activity frenzy and this helps to perceive too, or is very connected, at a huge rate of participation, of 92%, says Pedro Magalhãescurator of the exhibition “”.

In an interview with Lusa, the politologist says that this was the look that impressed him most during the preparation of the exhibition, patent at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon until October 31st.

Another aspect, he confessed, was the “huge violence“From the campaign.“ There were many episodes of physical conflict and shooting, siege and destruction of party headquarters, something that somehow foreshadows what happens later in the hot summer. A few months below, the political and ideological conflict is sharpened. ”

The Constitution turned out to be passed still in a climate of conflictApril 2, 1976.

The newspaper A Capital, which sold out a special edition, made cover the next day with a photograph of the moment, under the headline “Freedom and Progress”. But there is another highlight on the first page – “Bomb Mata Father Candidate from UDP. and student ”.

“It is the black side of this frenzy And it is also the intensity, the polarization and the conflict that was settling. And, as it happens in many other moments of our long political transition, sometimes one is thinking how it is possible that this had not derailed For anything much more dramatic! ”Said Pedro Magalhães.

Sitting on the exhibition, pointed out the case of a CDS rallyin Guimarães, during which there was shooting“People are shooting at each other and no one dies. I don’t realize how well. But I’m glad!” He says, laughing.

Throughout the preparation of the show, Pedro Magalhães was also surprised by the magnitude of the challenge that was to set up the first free elections in Portugal.

“When the Armed Forces Movement promised that it made elections within a year, I don’t know if they were very present… By the way, they did not, because the 1st Provisional Government had no budget for the elections, for census, ”he added.

“It was a very big challenge, for many reasons, perhaps the greatest was the electoral censusbecause the rules before April 25 had numerous limitations and sprains and besides there was no universal suffrage”Recall Pedro Magalhães.“Who didn’t know how to read nor writing, I had no right to vote. ”

So it has passed two million voters to 6.2 millionnote or political scientist.

But there was also to guarantee voting tables, ballot boxes and bulletins, as well as administrative changes: “Local power was obviously controlled or much influenced by the previous regime. It was necessary to replace chamber and joint presidents, all this was a process. ”

For Pedro Magalhães, the elections of April 25, 1975 could not have happened on the promised date If it weren’t for the intervention of Costa BrazApril military who defines how a central characterwhom “never recognized the importance,” namely in the organization of universal suffrage.

Fifty years later, There are still themes to study and “secrets to discover”guaranteed. “The fundamental is studied and known, but even about important processes, such as March 11 and That Easter Killing RumorWhere does it come from? No one knows. There are still many things to find out, ”took over the politologist.

One of the episodes you consider “A little forgotten”And there is a sorry for not being included in the exhibition is What goes from 24 to 25 April 1975following an appeal from RTP and the Portuguese Club Radio for the population to join the street and sing “Grândola, Vila Morena”, one of the passwords of the 1974 military coup that ended the dictatorship.

“There are thousands of people on the streets at dawncars to whistle everywhere and converges everything to Belém, where the Revolution Council is gathered, whose meeting ends at 05:00. They come to the window to thank or greet the population, ”he said, remembering the Costa Gomes Words – “We will have, in time, the most solemn moment of our revolution.”

Of this solemn moment, the election of a young assembly came outfor a new regime. “The old political elites were completely delegitimized and were removed. The new politicians were mostly young,” he concluded.