Portugal marks 50 years of democracy with far right on rise
Portugal on Thursday marks 50 years since a military coup ended a decades-long dictatorship and 13 years of colonial wars in Africa, an anniversary that comes as a far-right party gains prominence.
The anniversary of the Carnation Revolution – named after the flowers protesters placed in soldiers' guns during the peaceful uprising – comes a month after the far-right party Chega more than quadrupled its seats in parliament, cementing its position as Portugal's third-largest party.
The highlight of the celebrations will be a military parade through central Lisbon featuring some of the roughly 5,000 soldiers who were part of the putsch, as well as around 15 restored military vehicles used on the day.
On April 25, 1974, the oldest authoritarian regime in Western Europe at the time fell within a matter of hours, virtually without bloodshed, thanks to an uprising by non-commissioned officers that was immediately backed by the public.
The coup paved the way for the country's first free elections based on universal suffrage on 25 April, 1975, as well as the independence of Portugal's remaining African colonies: Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.
Lourenco, one of the officers who took part in the coup, now heads the April 25 Association that represents putschist soldiers.
Read more on RFI English
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