Published on 4/25/2026
52 years ago, Portuguese demonstrators against the authoritarian Estado Novo (New State) regime placed flowers on the muzzles of soldiers’ rifles, as a collective expression of rejection of violence after the peaceful military coup led by officers against the authority of Marcelo Caetano in the capital, Lisbon, in 1974.
Today, the Portuguese credit the peaceful revolution with ending authoritarian rule and establishing pluralistic democratic rule after decades of governmental reeling and instability. But does the annual celebration of the “Carnation Revolution” mean the end of old concerns? Have the revolutionaries finished resolving all the battles and demands for which the revolution was established?
The general context: tyranny and economic crisis
In the early morning hours of April 25, 1974, a group of officers calling themselves the “Armed Forces Movement” led a coordinated coup against the seat of government in Lisbon, ending the authoritarian regime (Estado Novo) that had been established since 1933 during the reign of Antonio Oliveira Salazar, peacefully and without bloodshed.
The peaceful coup paved the way for Portugal’s transition to democracy by ending government control of public life, restoring civil liberties, and launching a political path to end occupation in colonies in Africa.
Before that, by the early 1970s, the long colonial war in Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau had drained Portugal’s resources and morale. Economic recession and social discontent were worsening, with many young military officers feeling that the country was stuck in a stalemate.
Historians say that the revolution was not just a military maneuver, but rather a reflection of widespread frustration in Portuguese society and an unquenchable desire for political reform.
Despite the occurrence of tragic incidents, including shootings by members of the political police that resulted in casualties, the revolution is still classified as one of the most peaceful regime change processes in modern European history.
The welfare state…a dream in the wind
Even today, the carnation is a powerful symbol of democracy in Portugal, and reflects a national identity that unites all Portuguese. But behind the displays of annual celebrations that spread across the streets and squares, popular feelings of frustration are growing over the faltering economic growth (between 1.5% and 2%), the delay in improving living conditions, and the increase in salaries that are low compared to European standards.
There is a general impression that, despite the passage of 52 years since the fall of the dictatorship, the battles sparked by the revolution have not yet been resolved, which is what Marta Temido, a member of the European Parliament for the Alliance of Progressive Socialists and Democrats, said when she focused entirely on the “battle of poverty” that strikes a large number of Portuguese to this day, due to weak wages and the government’s failure to solve the social housing crisis.
According to data from the European Network against Poverty, about 2.1 million people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Portugal, equivalent to about 20% of the population, in addition to an unemployment rate estimated at 18.5% according to the latest update.
With an average salary ranging between 900 and 1,300 euros, Portugal risks losing its attractiveness to hundreds of thousands of young people who have chosen to leave for the Nordic countries, including France and Germany. This is what the National Institute of Statistics considered, warning of the possibility of the country losing 20% of its population until the year 2060, if the migration drain continues at the same pace.
Katarina Martins, a member of the European Parliament from the Left Bloc, commented on this in her testimony, saying, “We need politics to be in its right place, and instead of submitting to an economic system that exacerbates poverty, inequality, and frustration, we must establish rules that enable us all to aspire to a better life and achieve it.”
But the matter does not stop there, as large sectors within the political class do not see the importance of commemorating April 25, as the country continues to slide into practices that contradict the values of the “revolution.”
During an official session in Parliament, the President of the Republic, Antonio José Seguro, warned in his speech of the dangers threatening the values of the revolution, including:
- The danger of the gradual disappearance of freedom and democracy.
- Rampant corruption in state institutions and the risk of undermining the rule of law.
- Unjustified disparity in wages between women and men.
The populist Chiga turn
Until recently, Portugal was widely viewed as the last bastion of socialist rule within the European Union, which explains the open-door immigration policy that was adopted about a decade ago, before the situation changed and the discourse changed with the 2024 elections with the rise of the far-right party “Chiga”, turning today into the third political force in the country behind the Democratic Alliance (centre-right) and the Socialist Party.
This shift strongly changed the course of the political debate to the immigration issue and its repercussions on the housing sectors, and the reform priorities related to weak pensions and the labor market.
Indicating the gap between the memory of the revolution and its symbolism versus the pressures of the present, Chega party leader Andre Ventura said on the day of the celebration that “the Portuguese do not want more flowers and carnations, but rather they want to have a voice.” He also harshly criticized government spending on celebrations, instead of giving more attention to “veterans.”
The leader of the Chiga Party believes that a “new class of marginalized people” has been born in Portugal, directing repeated criticisms of the government’s policies in issues that have long represented the engine of his speech, which are:
- Housing sector
- health care
- Anti-corruption
- Immigration file management
“April values” are at stake
Chiga’s speech, which is popular among young people today in Portugal, raises concern among the veteran political elite in Portugal, which actually puts the “April Values” at risk and in danger of disappearing.
The results of the opinion polls reflect the youth’s inclination of more than 40% towards the views of “Chiga”, which indicates a shift in the public mood in Portugal, and also raises doubts about the path that the carnation revolution will take in the future.
“In general, the younger generations who did not live through this period may have lost their understanding of what it means to live without the freedoms that we take for granted today,” says Anna Vasconcelos, a member of the European Parliament for the Renew Europe/Liberal Initiative group.
She continued in her comment, “Perhaps this is the reason behind the growing awareness that these freedoms cannot be taken for granted, when we see what is happening in the United States and in other countries such as Hungary, where the government that was led by Orban with an authoritarian tendency finally fell.”
