TIAGO PETINGA/LUSA
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, during the military parade in Praça do Comércio included in the initiatives organized by the commission promoting the fiftieth anniversary of the military operation of November 25, 1975, Lisbon, November 25, 2025.
Just one difference compared to the celebration of the Carnation Revolution: instead of red carnations, white roses in the hemicycle. PS is the only left-wing party in the military parade dedicated to this date that was never consensual.
This Tuesday, for the second time, the November 25, 1975with the presence of the three branches of the Armed Forces.
It was on the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April that the Government decided to create its own commission to mark the date and the parties on the parliamentary right (PSD, Chega, IL and CDS-PP) decided to pass the celebrate the 25th of November annually in a solemn session at the Assembly of the Republic that was practically identical to the one held on April 25th, with just one difference: instead of red carnations, the hemicycle was decorated with white roses.
on November 25, 1975 was never politically consensual. PS, Livre, PCP and Bloco voted against, the PAN abstained and the PCP refuses to participateconsidering that this is an attempt to diminish the 25th of April.
The PCP “does not agree with the ongoing operation around the 50th anniversary of the 25th of November to diminish the 25th of April, its achievements and values, nor to make the 25th of November into what it was not, but which some would have liked it to have been”.
PS is today the only party of the left to participate in the military parade dedicated to the date and has been reinforcing that it is not against the celebrations of the 25th of November: it is, rather, against the way in which they are taking place, in what it denounces as a right-wing “agenda”, which uses the date as a political weapon, accuses the party. He also argues that the current celebration hides the role of Mário Soares on the 25th of November.
The right rejects these accusations and has joined the PS to the extreme left and reinforced that the date is to be celebrated “by all democrats”.
The speeches of Alípio Pinto, Eanes, Marcelo and Montenegro
Lieutenant General Alípio Tomé Pinto, the first to speak at the military parade, considered that, after March 11, 1975, “we entered a worrying path”, which resulted in “social indiscipline, fear, nationalizations”, the “occupation of companies and homes” or the flight of people.
Alípio Tomé Pinto considered that, with the 25th of November, it was possible to “restore and resume the path towards a European parliamentary democracy, creating conditions for accession to the European Economic Community (EEC)”, having also managed to “normalize economic and financial life”, “guarantee the autonomous policy of island regions” and “stabilize the Armed Forces”.
“The 25th of April and the 25th of November have no owner, they belong to the people who, in a free and safe vote, elected their representatives and delegated to them the responsibility for creating conditions of security and trust to safeguard rights, freedoms and constitutional guarantees”, he stated.
The former president Ramalho Eanes argued that “the decision to commemorate November 25th would have been historically opportune”.
“It’s not about celebrating the date or highlighting names”, but about “evoking active memory, oriented towards the future, and contributing to the dignification of the military institution”, pointed out the general.
“The 25th of April is the founding date of the restoration of freedom for the Portuguese to decide their future through free elections”, while the 25th of November brought the “moderate and democratic” part to respond “successfully, but unfortunately with some casualties” to the “drift of the revolutionary process”, which predicted an “armed insurrection”, said Eanes.
The President of the Republic, who a few days ago considered these celebrations a “return to the past” of Eanes’ presidency, reinforced in his speech at this morning’s military parade that “without April, the first date, there would not have been November 1975” and, without November, “there would not have been the 1976 Constitution”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlights the role of Ramalho Eanesthe “captain of April 1974” and “military chief in November 1975”.
Without the former president “there would not have been the transition from revolutionary legitimacy to electoral representative democratic legitimacy”, points out the head of state.
“It is important for the country to have this evocation and to have this historical record and to pass it on to all generations, so that we understand where we came from and what we want to build in the future”, pointed out the Prime Minister Luis Montenegro at the end of the military parade that took place in Praça do Comércio.
The military left Terreiro do Paço towards Praça da Figueira, with aircraft flying over the ceremony. At 11 am, the formal session in Parliament begins.
