Portugal is marking November 25 with a mix of official ceremonies, political statements, and renewed public debate about the date’s significance in the context of the country’s narrative of its democratic history.
Parliamentary ceremonies, combined with political postures inside the Assembly of the Republic, have placed the date at the center of a heated conversation about the November 25, 1975, historical legacy.
Meanwhile, commemorations in Parliament and across the country highlight the 1975 events that consolidated Portugal’s transition to democracy after the April 25, 1974, Carnation Revolution, with leaders reflecting on the role of the military and political forces that helped stabilize the democratization process.
The controversy emerged after the Government and Parliament expanded the institutional visibility of 25 November, establishing an official 50th-anniversary commission and holding a solemn session dedicated to the date.
Supporters argue that 25 November marks the moment when Portugal averted political radicalization and consolidated democratic rule, while critics warn that the initiative risks reframing the legacy of the April 25, 1974, revolution.
“25 April and 25 November are part of the same democratic process and should not be used to divide the country,” President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said, calling for moderation and historical balance.
Government and centre-right leaders, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, have echoed this stance, emphasizing that the November events merit recognition for “securing the democratic order and safeguarding pluralism.”
Left-wing parties, however, have expressed concern over the political framing of the commemorations. The Communist Party (PCP) warned against what it described as “a revisionist reading that diminishes April 25,” while the Left Bloc argued that elevating 25 November to the level of a national observance “breaks historical consensus” and risks politicizing a complex military confrontation from the PREC period, a period of intense political and social turmoil in Portugal following the Carnation Revolution.
Tensions escalated further during the parliamentary ceremony when Chega party leader, right-wing André Ventura, removed red carnations placed in the Assembly’s gallery by left-wing deputies.
The red carnation, a symbol of the April Revolution, was described by Ventura as “a provocation,” asserting that “this is not the day of the carnations.” The act drew immediate condemnation from opposition parties, with PCP officials stating that “removing the carnations means removing the people’s memory.”
In response, Prime Minister Montenegro stressed that “symbols should not be used to cancel other symbols.”
The incident highlighted deeper divisions over whether 25 November should be celebrated as a protective moment for democracy or viewed cautiously as the end of a revolutionary process still cherished by many Portuguese.
Analysts note that the debate arrives at a moment of heightened political polarization and broader disagreements over how Portugal’s democratic milestones should be interpreted and taught.
As the country moves toward the 50th anniversary of the events of 1975, officials, historians, and civil society organizations are expected to expand the conversation about how both April 25 and November 25 fit within Portugal’s broader democratic narrative.
Carolina Matos/Editor & PAJ/Staff/ This is a developing story.
