Today Portugal celebrates 50 years of the 25th of April

Today Portugal celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April with a program commemorating the Carnation Revolution, which began with a military ceremony at Terreiro do Paço, in Lisbon, and was attended by the President of the Republic.

Terreiro do Paço was the central stage for the official celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, hosting from 9:40 am a historical recreation of the “Operation End of Regime”, which began the day before at the Cavalry Practice School, in Santarém.

A replica of the column commanded by captain Salgueiro Maia, who left Santarém towards Lisbon 50 years ago, arrived at Terreiro do Paço, parading before Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and other entities.

The old Army vehicles that transported some of the very emotional former April captains remained in Terreiro do Paço, until 12:00, so that the population who flocked to Terreiro do Paço could interact with the April military personnel present.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa then went to the Assembly of the Republic, to attend and close the traditional solemn session commemorating the Carnation Revolution.

The session was marked by interventions from the President of the Assembly of the Republic and the President of the Republic, as well as representatives of the different parties with parliamentary seats.

To mark in parliament the passage of half a century since the coup d’état that put an end to the dictatorship of Oliveira Salazar and Marcello Caetano, the PS, Chega, Initiative Liberal, BE, PCP and Livre chose their leaders to speak.

The PSD, the party chaired by the current prime minister, Luís Montenegro, who attended but did not speak at the session, took a different option and placed the young deputy Ana Gabriela Cabilhas, aged 27, on the speakers’ platform.

In the case of the CDS-PP, a political force led by the Minister of Defense, Nuno Melo, the president of the parliamentary group, Paulo Núncio, was appointed.

At the end of the solemn session, the President of the Republic went to the Parliament’s Noble Hall to visit the exhibition, entitled “A Nós a Liberdade”, organized with the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation and which was officially inaugurated on Tuesday -fair.

During the afternoon, parliament had its doors open to the public for a free program that included exhibitions, theater and music.

The President of the Republic also opened the Palácio de Belém to the public and will be, from 6:00 pm, in a ceremony with his counterparts from Portuguese-speaking countries at the Centro Cultural de Belém, in Lisbon, which, in addition to the revolution in itself will celebrate the independence of those countries.

aNOTÍCIA.pt