Portuguese Communist Party

Portuguese Communist Party is a Marxist-Leninist political party in Portugal, founded on March 6, 1921, by a group of communists including Bento Gonçalves, José de Sousa, and Carlos Rates. The party is known for its strong trade union movement and its historical ties to the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries, such as Czechoslovakia and East Germany. The party's ideology is rooted in the works of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin, and it has been influenced by the Russian Revolution and the Spanish Civil War. The party's newspaper, Avante!, has been in publication since 1931 and features articles on politics, economics, and culture, often referencing the works of Mikhail Gorbachev and the Perestroika movement.

● History

The party's history is closely tied to the Portuguese First Republic and the Estado Novo regime, which was led by António de Oliveira Salazar and later by Marcelo Caetano. During this period, the party was forced to operate in secrecy, with many of its members, including Álvaro Cunhal, being arrested and imprisoned by the Portuguese secret police, known as the PIDE. The party played a significant role in the Carnation Revolution of 1974, which overthrew the Estado Novo regime and established a democratic government in Portugal, with the support of Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho and the Movimento das Forças Armadas. The party has also been influenced by the French Communist Party and the Italian Communist Party, and has maintained close ties with other European communist parties, such as the Communist Party of Greece and the Communist Party of Spain.

● Ideology

The party's ideology is based on Marxism-Leninism and is committed to the establishment of a socialist society in Portugal, with the ultimate goal of achieving a classless society and the abolition of the state. The party's ideology is also influenced by the works of José Carlos Mariátegui and the Latin American communist movement, as well as the African independence movements, such as the Mozambican War of Independence and the Angolan War of Independence. The party has also been critical of imperialism and neoliberalism, and has supported the Cuban Revolution and the Sandinista National Liberation Front in Nicaragua, as well as the Palestinian National Authority and the Polisario Front in Western Sahara. The party's ideology is also reflected in its support for the European United Left–Nordic Green Left and the Party of the European Left, which includes parties such as the German Communist Party and the Communist Party of Finland.

● Organization

The party is organized into a central committee and a politburo, which are responsible for making key decisions and setting the party's overall direction, with the support of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and other communist parties in Eastern Europe, such as the Polish United Workers' Party and the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party. The party also has a strong trade union movement, with many of its members being active in the Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses and the União Geral dos Trabalhadores, which have ties to the International Trade Union Confederation and the European Trade Union Confederation. The party's youth wing, the Portuguese Communist Youth, is also an important part of the party's organization, with ties to the World Federation of Democratic Youth and the European Communist Youth Organization.

● Electoral Performance

The party has a significant presence in the Portuguese parliament, the Assembleia da República, and has consistently won around 10% of the vote in national elections, with the support of the Ecologist Party "The Greens" and the Democratic Unity Coalition. The party has also performed well in local elections, particularly in the Lisbon and Setúbal areas, where it has maintained close ties with the Communist Party of France and the Communist Party of Italy. The party's electoral performance is also influenced by its support for the European Social Forum and the World Social Forum, which bring together social movements and left-wing parties from around the world, including the Brazilian Workers' Party and the Venezuelan United Socialist Party.

● International Relations

The party has maintained close ties with other communist parties around the world, including the Communist Party of China, the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the Communist Party of Cuba, as well as the Socialist International and the Progressive Alliance. The party has also been a strong supporter of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian National Authority, and has maintained close ties with the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah movement, as well as the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party. The party's international relations are also reflected in its support for the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America and the Union of South American Nations, which include countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

● Notable Members

The party has had several notable members throughout its history, including Álvaro Cunhal, who was the party's general secretary from 1961 to 1992, and Carlos Carvalhas, who was the party's general secretary from 1992 to 2004, and has ties to the French Resistance and the Italian Resistance. Other notable members include Jerónimo de Sousa, who is the current general secretary of the party, and João Ferreira, who is a member of the European Parliament and has ties to the Communist Party of Greece and the Communist Party of Cyprus. The party's notable members also include José de Sousa, who was a founding member of the party, and Bento Gonçalves, who was a key figure in the party's early years, and has ties to the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party and the Bulgarian Communist Party.