Former President of the Republic António Ramalho Eanes stated this Friday that during the Ongoing Revolutionary Process (PREC) the PCP was preparing to establish a totalitarian regime in Portugal and considered that decolonization was tragic. Ramalho Eanes was speaking before the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, during a class-debate on the 25th of April with students from secondary schools and universities, in the old royal arena, next to the Palácio de Belém, in Lisbon.
Regarding the background to the 25th of November 1975, the general and first President elected in a democracy began by saying that he did not want to “make any considerations about the PCP” and that he had “excellent relations with Álvaro Cunhal”, a man who “greatly esteemed ” and “very considered”.
“But at that time the PCP, perhaps harassed by the extreme left, was effectively preparing to establish a totalitarian regime in Portugal,” he said, adding: “I have no doubts.” Citing Melo Antunes, Eanes maintained that at the time it was necessary to “reinstitutionalize the military apparatus” so that it could oppose “any armed attempt to conquer power”.
“For various reasons, and as things became more acute, the Document of the Nine appeared, which the entire Council of the Revolution practically signed and which was signed by thousands of officers. This demonstrated that the military institution was in very bad shape, it was deinstitutionalized, it had to In general, he lost his loyalty to the people and democracy and had created perverse loyalties in relation to party affiliations”, he continued.
Specifically regarding the events of November 25th, Eanes said that there was “a military offensive”, in his opinion “organized lightly by the extreme left, but in which the PCP could not have failed to intervene”, in the face of which he and others military were forced to act. “We had this action, finally, and I repeat that it could have led to a civil war and that the 25th of November was indispensable. I repeat: it was indispensable, so that the military’s promises of honor to the population could be fulfilled”, he defended.
According to Eanes, the outcome of November 25th was due to the “military