Portugal Elections 2024: Poor performance for the Communist Party, while the far-right rises

Bad news come from Portugal, following March 10 parliamentary elections. The Unitary Democratic Coalition, comprised of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Greens, received 3,30% (approximately 203,000 votes), which marks a regression in relation to the 2022 results (4,39% and 236,600 votes).

Unfortunately, it seems that, among others, the Portuguese Communist Party pays the price for its political support – also known as Geringonça - towards the social democratic governments of Antonio Costa in 2015-2019 which cultivated empty promises to the working class but ultimately led to disappointment. 

Portuguese Communist Party: On the political situation arising from the resignation of Prime Minister Costa

On Thursday 9/11, the President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced that snap parliamentary elections will be held on March 10, 2024, following the resignation of social democrat Prime Minister Antonio Costa, due to corruption allegations. 

In a statement about the situation on November 7, the General Secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Paulo Raimundo, stressed out:

Festa do Avante! 2023: Portuguese Communist Party's festival to be held on 1-3 September

Under the usual slogan "There is no party like this", the 47th Avante Festival (Festa do Avante), organized by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), will take place on 1 to 3 September 2023 in Lisbon's Seixal district. 

The three-day festival includes numerous activities, such as music concerts, political debates, various events about cinema, theatre, gastronomy, books, sporting events, etc.

Portuguese Communist Party elects Paulo Raimundo as new General Secretary

Paulo Raimundo, PCP new General Secretary.

On November 12, the Central Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) elected Paulo Raimundo as the party's new General Secretary. 

"In today’s meeting, the Central Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party elected Paulo Raimundo as General Secretary of the PCP. The proposal from the executive bodies was unanimously adopted. Paulo Raimundo chose not to vote in his election", PCP spokeswoman Margarida Botelho said in a statement. 

Raimundo, 46, replaces Jerónimo de Sousa after 18 years in office and becomes the seventh secretary general of the PCP since the party's foundation in 1921. 

Portugal: Thousands attended the Communist Party's "Avante! Festival"

For another year, the annual festival of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), known as "Avante! Festival" (Festa do Avante) became an attraction for thousands of people who gathered at Quinta da Atalaia in Seixal in order to attend the numerous cultural and political events included in the program,

This year's festivities, which took place on 2,3 and 4 September, also included a symphonic concert dedicated to the 100th birth anniversary of the great Portuguese writer José Saramago.

Portuguese Communist Party celebrated 100th anniversary — Full speech by General Secretary Jerónimo de Sousa

The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) celebrated its 100th anniversary on Saturday with a message of struggle and devotion to the continued fight for freedom, justice and socialism.  

 

Addressing hundreds of Communist Party members and supporters, who were carrying party flags and carnations - the symbol of the 1974 Revolution - General Secretary Jerónimo de Sousa honored the "generations of communists who are an example of selfless devotion to the just cause they embraced".  

Portuguese Communist Party marks its 100th anniversary

The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) is carrying out a vast programme of initiatives under the motto «1921-2021 - Centenary of the Portuguese Communist Party - Freedom, Democracy, Socialism - The future has a Party».

As part of the celebrations, the PCP will hold a wide range of initiatives from March 1 to 6 all over the country, marking its heroic history of 100 years of struggle and affirming its project for the future.

Portugal Election 2021: Communist Party leader Jerónimo de Sousa comments on the results

Sunday's presidential election in Portugal was marked by a high rates of abstention and a substantial victory of the reactionary forces. Incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, supported by the Social Democratic Party and the conservative People's Party, was re-elected with a majority of 60.70%, while the candidate of the far-right, nationalist Chega party, André Ventura, came third with 11.90% of the votes. 

The Portuguese Communist Party's candidate, current member of the EU Parliament, João Ferreira collected 4.32 percent of the votes in what can be seen as a rather disappointing result. 

In a statement concerning the result of the presidential elections, the General Secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) Jerónimo de Sousa pointed out the following:

Portugese Communist Party to hold its XXI Congress on 27-29 November

The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) will held its 21st Congress on 27, 28 and 29 of November 2020. The works of the XXI Congress will take place in Pavilhão Paz e Amizade in the city of Loures, 13km north of capital Lisbon. 

Under the slogan "Organize, Fight, Advance. Democracy and Socialism", the PCP's 21st Congress is organized in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, something that has provoked reactions from right-wing parties and conservative politicians in Portugal. However, as the PCP General Secretary Jerónimo de Sousa has stated, the Congress will take place under all the necessary health security measures. 

FESTA DO AVANTE and KNE-ODIGITIS FESTIVAL: Europe’s largest communist festivals to be held in September

The posters of this year's festivals in Portugal and Greece:
Festa do Avante! and the 46th KNE-Odigitis Festival.

Despite pressure and efforts by reactionary bourgeois political forces to postpone this year’s “Festa do Avante” due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) has decided to proceed to the organisation of the festival, ensuring that all the necessary health measures will be taken. 

In a statement, the PCP provide solid answers to its critics about the festival’s organisation. The governmental decree on summer festivals and similar activities stresses out that they can be carried out as long as they comply with the necessary health rules and obligations. “The attack on the party is just an expression of the reactionary forces’ long-standing objective: to question the exercise of political rights and more particularly the activity of the PCP and unions”, points out an article of the Party titled “Why we organize the Avante Festival”. 

Festa do Avante! 2019: Portugal's communist festival to be held on 6-8 September in Lisbon

Between 6 and 8 of September 2019 the district of Seixal in Lisbon will host the famous "Festa do Avante!", the annual festival of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) also known as "Avante! Festival". 

The story of "Avante!" Festival, which is named after the official newspaper of the Portuguese Communist Party, goes back to 1976 and since then has been a great cultural and political event that attracks young men and women from all over Portugal as well as international delegations from communist parties from around the world. 

Portugal: "Avante!" Festival to take place on 7-9 September in Lisbon's Seixal

Between 7 and 9th of September 2018, in the town of Amora, near Lisbon's Seixal district, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) will organize its "Festa do Avante), also known as "Avante!" festival. 

The festival consists a very popular event and attracts thousands of people every year. The three-day festival includes multiple activities, including political debates, music concerts with the participation of portuguese and international artists and bands, various events on gastronomy, theatre, cinema, sporting activities, as well as a book and music fair. 

Jerónimo de Sousa- Speech at "Bicentennial of the birth of Karl Marx" Conference

Speech by Jerónimo de Sousa, General Secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) at the opening of the conference "Bicentennial of the birth of Karl Marx- Legacy, Intervention, Struggle, Transform the World" which was held in Lisbon on February 24th 2018. 

With this conference, we begin the commemorations of the bicentennial of the birth of Karl Marx, which will take place throughout 2018, under the theme «Legacy, Intervention, Struggle. Transform the World».

Portuguese Communist Party: Resolution of the CC for the strengthening of the Party

Resolution of the Central Committee of the PCP [En, Pt]

January 21th 2018

   I

The PCP assumes its objectives and project with confidence in its forces, in the working class, in workers and people, in a context in which the future presents itself with dangers and potentialities. Whereas PCP is the target of systematic attack, slander, discrimination, silencing, it assumes its communist identity, its project of transforming society. The Party counts on its strength and ability to intervene, it resists attacks, it fulfills its role but, faced with its shortcomings, it needs to be stronger and more influential in current and future political battles. 

Condemn U.S. decision on Jerusalem: Statements by Communist and Workers Parties across the world

The recent decision of the U.S. Trump administration to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of the state of Israel has sparked outrage across the world. Israeli and Palestinian communist and left parties have denounced Trump's decision, while the Communist Party of Greece stated that the decision "adds fuel to the fire" to "burn" the perspective of a Palestinian state. Below, you can read announcements by various Communist and Workers Parties:

Portuguese Communist Party (PCP): Centennial of the October Revolution – Socialism, necessary today and for the future

PORTUGUESE COMMUNIST PARTY (PCP) CENTRAL COMMITTEE RESOLUTION. 

September 18, 2016.

The year 2017 marks the centennial of the October 1917 Socialist Revolution.

The October Revolution is the major event in the historical process of emancipation of the exploited, the oppressed, the workers and the peoples, a process which has been marked by important revolutionary events from the days of primitive society, through slavery, feudalism and capitalism.

After thousands of years of societies in which the socio-economic systems have been based on the exploitation of man by man, the October Revolution began a new epoch in the History of Humankind, the epoch of the transition from capitalism to socialism. It was the first revolution that, through far-reaching democratic transformations in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres, and by ensuring social progress and justice, and corresponding to the yearnings of the workers and the peoples, undertook the edification of a society without exploiters, nor exploited people.