Portuguese Workers' Communist Party

Portuguese Workers' Communist Party/Reorganized Movement of the Party of the Proletariat
Partido Comunista dos Trabalhadores Portugueses/Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado
Leader Unknown
Founded 1970
Headquarters Lisbon, Portugal
Youth wing Formerly the Marxist–Leninist Students Federation, now non existent.
Ideology Communism
Marxism-Leninism
Maoism
Anti-revisionism
Political position Far-left
International affiliation None
Colors Red
Assembly of the Republic
0 / 230
European Parliament
0 / 21
Regional
parliaments
0 / 104
Local
Government
0 / 2,086
Website
http://www.pctpmrpp.org

The Portuguese Workers' Communist Party/Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat (Portuguese: Partido Comunista dos Trabalhadores Portugueses/Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado, PCTP/MRPP)[1] is a Maoist political party.

History and overview

The party was founded in 1970 in Portugal.[2] On the ballot, its name appears as the Portuguese Workers' Communist Party, omitting the "Reorganized" part of the name; however its acronym remains unchanged. Its first secretary-general was Arnaldo Matos.

Originally called merely the MRPP, the party's political orientation has been Maoist since its foundation. In 1971, still during the conservative and authoritarian dictatorship led by Marcello Caetano, the party began issuing a newspaper called Luta Popular (People's Struggle). The party was among the most active resistance movements before the Portuguese democratic revolution of 1974, especially among students of Lisbon. After the revolution, the MRPP achieved fame for its large and highly artistic mural paintings. It was intensely active during 1974 and 1975. At that time, the party had members that later came to be very important in national politics, for example, José Manuel Durão Barroso and Fernando Rosas, who subsequently left the party. The party, however, never managed to elect a single MP in legislative elections.

During the revolutionary period of 1974 and 1975, the MRPP was accused (mainly by the Portuguese Communist Party) of being an agent of the CIA - a belief that was fueled by the cooperation between the MRPP and the Socialist Party against the communist programme defended by Portuguese Communist Party.

In 1976, the party changed its name to the Portuguese Workers' Communist Party, and it was then that it started to use the acronym PCTP/MRPP. Its historical leaders are Arnaldo de Matos and Saldanha Sanches. The latter directed the Luta Popular newspaper.

The party's youth wing, now extinct, was the Marxist–Leninist Students Federation, to which José Manuel Durão Barroso also belonged.

The party entered a phase of internal turmoil following the 2015 legislative election, with its leader and most known figure António Garcia Pereira leaving the party. Details about the internal functioning of the party became difficult to obtain, since none of the official contacts is answered and even the official headquarters seem to no longer be functioning. An extraordinary congress was announced but is unknown if it really happened, and if so, when and where. Some sources have stated the party is now operating at a clandestine level.

Election results

Assembly of the Republic

Election # of votes % of vote # of seats Place
1976
36,200
0.66%
0
7th
1979
53,268
0.89%
0
8th
1980
35,409
0.59%
0
11th
1983
20,995
0.37%
0
9th
1985
19,943
0.34%
0
9th
1987
20,800
0.37%
0
11th
1991
48,542
0.85%
0
7th
1995
41,137
0.70%
0
5th
1999
40,006
0.74%
0
6th
2002
36,193
0.66%
0
6th
2005
48,186
0.84%
0
6th
2009
52,761
0.93%
0
6th
2011
62,610
1.12%
0
6th
2015
59,812
1.13%
0
8th

European Parliament

Election # of votes % of vote # of seats Place
1987
19,475
0.35%
0
12th
1989
26,682
0.64%
0
10th
1994
24,022
0.79%
0
5th
1999
30,446
0.88%
0
6th
2004
36,294
1.07%
0
5th
2009
42,940
1.20%
0
7th
2014
54,708
1.67%
0
8th

See also

References

  1. ↑ It is pronounced [pɐɾˈtidu kumuˈniʃtɐ duʃ tɾɐbɐʎɐˈdoɾɨʃ puɾtuˈɡezɨʃ / muviˈmẽtu ʁiɔɾɡɐnizɐˈtivu du pɐɾˈtidu du pɾulɨtɐɾiˈadu].
  2. ↑ "Political Parties in Portugal". Translation Company Group. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
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