Initiatives taking place throughout country
Portugal is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the April 25 Revolution today with a large programme of commemorations that have included the traditional solemn session in parliament (this morning); a parade on Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon and initiatives all over the country.
The programme of the Commemorative Commission for the 50th anniversary began with a military ceremony in Lisbon’s Terreiro do Paço, attended by the president of Portugal.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa then headed for parliament to attend and close the traditional ‘solemn session’ which ends with MPs singing the traditional ‘April 25 song’, Grândola Vila Morena.
Marking the half-century since the coup that ended the dictatorship of Oliveira Salazar and Marcello Caetano, PS, CHEGA, Iniciativa Liberal, Bloco de Esquerda, PCP communists and LIVRE chose their leaders to speak in parliament.
The PSD, the party chaired by the current prime minister, Luís Montenegro – who attends but does not speak at the session – made a different choice placing 27-year-old MP Ana Gabriela Cabilhas on the speakers’ platform.
In the case of CDS-PP, the political force led by Defence Minister Nuno Melo, president of the parliamentary group, Paulo Núncio, was appointed.
As is tradition, the speeches followed the ascending order of parliamentary representation, with PAN’s one and only MP Inês de Sousa Real giving the first speech, followed by Paulo Núncio (CDS), Rui Tavares (LIVRE), Paulo Raimundo (PCP) and Mariana Mortágua (Bloco), Rui Rocha (Liberal Initiative), André Ventura (CHEGA), Pedro Nuno Santos (PS) and Ana Gabriela Cabilhas – ending with the president of parliament, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, followed by President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
At the end of the solemn session, the president went on to the Noble Hall of parliament to visit an exhibition called ‘A Nós a Liberdade’, organised with the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation.
This afternoon, parliament has opened its doors to the public for a free programme that includes exhibitions, theatre and music.
The prime minister marked the anniversaryvwith a lunch with 50 young people from different areas, from culture to sport and volunteering, at the official residence in S. Bento, which will be open to the public from 3.30 p.m. with a cultural programme including a musical performance by António Zambujo.
The president has equally opened Belém Palace to the public and, from 6 pm will attend a ceremony with counterparts from Portuguese-language countries at Belém Cultural Centre in Lisbon, which, in addition to the revolution itself, will celebrate the independence of those countries. Prime minister Luís Montenegro will also be present.
Terreiro do Paço has been the centrepiece of the official commemorations, hosting a historical re-enactment of ‘Operation End of Regime’, which began the previous day at the Cavalry Practical School in Santarém. A replica of the column commanded by Captain Salgueiro Maia, which 50 years ago left Santarém for Lisbon, arrived at Terreiro do Paço in time to parade, while former army vehicles were on hand, to allow citizens interaction with any of the ‘April soldiers’ present.
Source: LUSA
