Former President of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva left some "tips", "now that an official commission has been pulled out of the hat to commemorate November 25".

"April 25 is the founding day of our democracy. It does not have to be commemorated together with any other. It is the source from which everything sprouted", he began by explaining, in a Facebook post.

In the same message, Santos Silva argued that "our democratic transition was revolutionary" and that "these two facts must be highlighted: that it was a revolution, which radically changed the economy, society, mentality and Portuguese politics; and that it resulted in the victory of the European democratic model, liberal, pluralist and with a strong social component".

"For such a model to triumph, it was necessary to defeat the alternatives that were then put forward: the reversal of democracy (on September 28, March 11 and the attempted counter-coup on November 25) and the revolutionary drift (siege of the Constituent Assembly, November 25)", he continued, arguing that "we must also highlight the crucial importance of November 25", but "not to contrast it with April 25, as the extreme right and, unfortunately, part of the right want".

Nor should this date be marked "to exclude the communist or revolutionary left from our regime", but rather "to thank all those who, on November 25, 1975, knew how to oppose the revolutionary coup and the reactionary counter-coup, imposing the liberal and pluralist democracy in which all political currents could have a place: Mário Soares, Costa Gomes, Ramalho Eanes, Melo Antunes and the entire Group of 9".

"Let us therefore celebrate November 25 as it is: the guarantee of democracy in Portugal, where everyone has a place. And, while we are at it, let us also celebrate April 2, 1976, the day on which the Constitution that enshrined it was approved", concluded Augusto Santos Silva.

On Sunday, former President of the Republic António Ramalho Eanes considered that "it makes perfect sense" to celebrate November 25, since the "founding date of Democracy" is April 25.

On the same day, the Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, announced that the Government will create a commission for the commemorations of November 25, 1975. "In 2024 we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of April 25, In 2025, we must celebrate - and not forget - the 50th anniversary of November 25", he said.

Recalling that the CDS-PP celebrates "every year" this date and it is something "almost identity-related" for the party, Nuno Melo stressed that "November 25 was a military movement that saved democracy in Portugal".

Read Also: Há quem queira comemorar 25 de Novembro "pelo que gostariam que tivesse sido" (Portuguese version)