The President of the Republic defended, on Monday, that “there is no contradiction” in evoking the 25th of April 1974, a “greater date” and “more remarkable in historical terms”, and the 25th of November 1975, which may have avoided “a civil war”.
Questioning whether freedom began with the first date and democracy with the second, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa answered himself: “It is more accurate to say that, with the 25th of April 1974, a complex and time-consuming path was opened. – because it went through the revolution and then the seven-year constitutional transition – to freedom and democracy. And on November 25, 1975, a very important step was taken on the path to freedom and democracy.”
The head of state’s speech closed the first solemn session reminiscent of the military operation of November 25, 1975 in the Legislative Assembly. Apologizing to the deputies for “such a long narrative” of around 20 minutes, Marcelo highlighted that without the 25th of April, which he described as a “unity made of diversities”, “there would be no 25th of November”. This is because the revolution put an end to an “imperial cycle of five centuries and a dictatorship of half a century” and launched the configuration of “the party system, the definition of the electoral system and social partners”.
Following the “victory of the Group of Nine over the other two military sectors”, the most left and right, the more radical civil and military right “lost the demand for the illegalization of the PCP”, recalled Marcelo. Among the victorious soldiers of the 25th of November, who halted a more “delayed, agitated and conflictual” “revolutionary reflux”, he highlighted “strategically Ernesto Melo Antunes, operationally António Ramalho Eanes and in execution Jaime Neves”, and on the civilian level Mário Soares. But, for the head of state, “full political and electoral democracy” was only established with the constitutional review of 1982, which abolished the Revolutionary Council.
Gouveia and Melo absent from the session
The Chief of Staff of the Navy did not attend the formal session on November 25th at the Assembly of the Republic because he was in Angola to participate in a meeting of the Navies of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries.
According to Henrique Gouveia e Melo, the meeting’s themes are “protection, defense and threats to maritime infrastructures, submarine cables, pipelines, oil, wind and other platforms”.
The chief of the General Staff of the Navy was represented in the solemn evocative session of the 25th of November by his vice-admiral, Aníbal Soares Ribeiro, who arrived at the Assembly of the Republic with the military chiefs of the other branches and the General Staff of the Armed Forces .
Gouveia e Melo has been at the center of media attention after it was reported that the admiral had already informed the government that he will not take on another term as head of the position and that he intends to announce his candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic next year. He took office as Chief of Staff of the Navy in December 2021 and is about to serve his three-year term.
SPEECHES
miguel guimarães
The social democratic deputy stated that November 25th “symbolizes the triumph of moderation over extremism” and that celebrating the date “is not to belittle or try to diminish April 25th”.
pedro d. alves
The socialist deputy said that “the best way to honor this ability to overcome divisions is to not reopen the fractures that these founding generations of the democratic regime wisely overcame”.
andré ventura
The leader of Chega highlighted that “a new majority allowed it to be said that, without forgetting the 25th of April, this is the true day of freedom for Portugal”, before mentioning the “threat of uncontrolled immigration”.
rui rock
The liberal argued that the celebration represents “a new defeat for those who were defeated on the 25th of November” and argued that it is still necessary to “combat radicalism in the name of freedom”.
joana mortágua
The only Blocist deputy present at the session argued that “the current mystification about the historical significance of the 25th of November is a maneuver by those defeated in April” to “invent an alternative past for Portugal”.
filipa pinto
“What some are trying to do with the 25th of November does not show true respect for either the date or the historical truth”, highlighted Livre deputy Filipa Pinto, with a red carnation in her hand.
paul nuncio
“November was not made against April, November was made against the illegitimate appropriation of April”, said the CDS deputy. The centrist criticized the absence of the PCP and the majority of the BE bench.
ines sousa real
The Pan spokeswoman said that “exactly 49 years ago the country was entrenched, completely divided in half”, and today there are “new trenches erected” in Parliament.
“Fascinating conceptions”
The PCP, which decided not to participate in the solemn session, criticized, through the voice of parliamentary leader Paula Santos, the “parade of retrograde, reactionary and fascistic conceptions” and considered the initiative as a “provocation”.
AND ALSO
Commands “on the right side”
The Minister of Defense yesterday praised the role of the Commandos on the 25th of November, stating that they were “on the right side of History”. Nuno Melo also recalled that “if the 25th of April brought the end of the Estado Novo and the beginning of a path, it was the 25th of November 1975 that confirmed the democratic regime”.
Notable absences
Several soldiers who were part of the Group of Nine, including Pezarat Correia, Rodrigo Sousa e Castro and Vasco Lourenço, refused to be present.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
