April 25th Ceremony Confirmed Despite Parliamentary Dissolution: A Historical Commemoration

Traditional Session to Honor April 25, 1974

The traditional solemn session commemorating the April 25, 1974, revolution will take place in Parliament as usual, despite the assembly's dissolution. According to the spokesperson for the leaders' conference, Deputy Jorge Paulo Oliveira, the proposal was made by the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and was unanimously approved.

Debate on the Session's Continuation

Today, the leaders' conference debated whether to hold this year's session, which has seen cancellations in the past under similar circumstances, since the parliament will be dissolved starting Thursday. This year marks the 51st anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and the 50th anniversary of the first free elections in Portugal, which led to the drafting of the 1976 Constitution.

Parliamentary Dissolution

The Assembly of the Republic will be formally dissolved on Thursday following the publication of a decree by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The session commemorating the Carnation Revolution has only been canceled four times in the 49 years since the establishment of the Assembly following the elections of April 25, 1976, when the democratic constitution came into effect.

Historical Context of Cancellations

The commemorative session was not held in 1983, 1993, and 2011. In 1992, then-President Mário Soares proposed relocating the celebration to Belém to make it more appealing and engage younger generations with democratic achievements. The cancellation reasons included legislative elections on April 25 in 1983, the Assembly's dissolution in 2011, and media protests in 1993 against limitations on journalist access to the São Bento building in Lisbon.

Support for the Commemoration

Several parliamentary leaders advocated for celebrating the date, especially during the 30th anniversary of the first elections for the Constituent Assembly. José Pedro Aguiar-Branco emphasized that the session should proceed as in previous years, presenting the topic to the leaders' conference for party input. Pedro Nuno Santos noted that with elections in May and the official campaign not yet started, it is feasible to celebrate the April 25 anniversary, particularly the 50 years since the Constituent Assembly elections.

Hugo Soares, the leader of the PSD parliamentary group, confirmed that the PSD supports holding the solemn session on April 25 in the usual manner as determined by the leaders' conference.