Every year on 25 April, Portugal commemorates its day of liberation: the April Revolution in which almost five decades of dictatorship were overthrown and democracy was born in 1974.
This year, ALDE Party member Iniciativa Liberal hosted a rally on the symbolic Avenue of Freedom in Lisbon. Held under the slogan: “Portugal has no owners” liberals asserted that the achievement of democracy belongs to no single political force.
Party leader Mariana Leitão used the occasion to deliver a sharp critique of Portugal’s political trajectory since the 1970s. After the revolution defined a key moment in Europe’s democratic history, Leitão warned that Portugal risks falling behind, after struggling to maintain its position at the forefront of democratic progress.
She set out this diagnosis bluntly:
“52 years ago the country awoke, but at a certain point, we stagnated. We ceased to be an example to follow. We reverted to being a muddy swamp of resentment, which only fed opportunists, from left to right. The April Revolution was not made so that nothing would change. It was made so that everything could change, without fear and without owners.”
For Iniciativa Liberal, this is not just a critique but a call to action. The party is positioning itself as the force capable of reversing this political stagnation and completing what it sees as an unfinished transformation from 1974.
Liberals are keen to push for a more open society going forward, urging broader economic reform as well as further decentralisation efforts. Those at this year's rally called for political courage amid such turbulent global changes.
This reflects a broader trend across Europe, as we can no longer treat democracy as a fixed achievement. Our freedoms must be continuously defended, especially with the growing political complacency and pressure on democratic systems across Europe.
As Portugal commemorates the revolution that restored its democracy, the debate is no longer just about the past. It is about who defines the country’s future - and whether the spirit of April still drives change today.
Check out liberal action at this year's rally: