Portuguese Workers' Communist Party

Portuguese Workers' Communist Party/Re-Organized Movement of the Party of the Proletariat

*Partido Comunista dos Trabalhadores Portugueses/Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado*
Portuguese Workers' Communist Party/Re-Organized Movement of the Party of the Proletariat Partido Comunista dos Trabalhadores Portugueses/Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado
Leader	Maria Cidália Guerreiro
Founded	1970
Headquarters	Lisbon
Youth wing	Marxist–Leninist Students Federation (until 1980s)
Ideology	Communism; Marxism-Leninism; Maoism; Anti-revisionism;
Political position	Far-left
Colors	Red
Assembly of the Republic	0 / 230
European Parliament	0 / 21
Regional; parliaments	0 / 104
Local; Government	0 / 2,086
Party flag
Website
	lutapopularonline.org
	Politics of Portugal; Political parties; Elections;

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

History and overview edit

The party was founded in 1970 as the Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado (MRPP), led by Arnaldo de Matos. It changed its name to the Portuguese Workers' Communist Party in 1976.

The PCTP-MRPP has held a Maoist political orientation since its foundation. In 1971, the party began to publish a newspaper called "Luta Popular" (People's Struggle), directed by Saldanha Sanches. The party was among the most active resistance movements before the Carnation Revolution, especially among students in Lisbon. After the revolution, the MRPP achieved fame for its large murals. The party became intensely active during 1974 and 1975. At that time, the party boasted members who later became important political figures, including José Manuel Durão Barroso and Fernando Rosas, who subsequently left the party. The party, however, never managed to elect a single Member of Parliament in legislative elections.

During the revolutionary period of 1974 and 1975, the MRPP was accused by the Portuguese Communist Party of being an agent of the CIA, a belief that was fueled by cooperation between the MRPP and the Socialist Party against the communist program defended by the Portuguese Communist Party.^{[citation needed]}

The party's youth wing, now extinct, was the Marxist–Leninist Students Federation, to which José Manuel Durão Barroso, a future Prime Minister from the centre-right Social Democratic Party, briefly belonged.

The party entered a phase of internal turmoil following the 2015 legislative elections, with its leader António Garcia Pereira leaving the party. Details about the internal functioning of the party became difficult to obtain, since none of the official contacts responded to contacts, and even the official headquarters seemed to no longer be functioning. An extraordinary congress was announced, but it is unknown if it really happened. Some sources claim the party is now operating at a clandestine level.^{[citation needed]}

Despite this, the party contested the 2017 local elections, gaining 12,387 votes (0.24%) but losing the two council seats they held.^[1]

On 22 February 2019 Arnaldo Matos, founder and leader of the PCTP/MRPP since 1970, died.^[2]

Election results edit

Assembly of the Republic edit

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/-	Government
1976	Arnaldo Matos	36,200	0.7 (#7)	0 / 263		No seats
1979		53,268	0.9 (#8)	0 / 250	0	No seats
1980		35,409	0.6 (#11)	0 / 250	0	No seats
1983		20,995	0.4 (#9)	0 / 250	0	No seats
1985		19,943	0.3 (#9)	0 / 250	0	No seats
1987		20,800	0.4 (#11)	0 / 250	0	No seats
1991	António Garcia Pereira	48,542	0.9 (#7)	0 / 230	0	No seats
1995		41,137	0.7 (#5)	0 / 230	0	No seats
1999		40,006	0.7 (#6)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2002		36,193	0.7 (#6)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2005		48,186	0.8 (#6)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2009		52,784	0.9 (#6)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2011		62,683	1.1 (#6)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2015		59,995	1.1 (#8)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2019	Cidália Guerreiro	36,118	0.7 (#11)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2022		13,016	0.2 (#11)	0 / 230	0	No seats
2024		15,499	0.2 (#13)	0 / 230	0	No seats

European Parliament edit

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/-
1987		19,475	0.4 (#12)	0 / 24
1989	António Garcia Pereira	26,682	0.6 (#10)	0 / 24	0
1994		24,022	0.8 (#5)	0 / 25	0
1999		30,446	0.9 (#6)	0 / 25	0
2004	Orlando Alves	36,294	1.1 (#5)	0 / 24	0
2009	Orlando Alves	42,940	1.2 (#7)	0 / 22	0
2014	Leopoldo Mesquita	54,708	1.7 (#8)	0 / 21	0
2019	Luís Júdice	27,223	0.8 (#12)	0 / 21	0

Notes edit

^ It is pronounced [pɐɾˈtiðu kumuˈniʃtɐ ðuʃ tɾɐβɐʎɐˈðoɾɨʃ puɾtuˈɣezɨʃ / muviˈmẽtu ʁi.ɔɾɣɐnizɐˈtivu ðu pɐɾˈtiðu ðu pɾulɨtɐɾiˈaðu].

References edit

^ "Autárquicas 2017 - Resultados". www.eleicoes.mai.gov.pt. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
^ Botelho, Leonete. "Morreu Arnaldo Matos, fundador do MRPP". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2019.

External links edit

Homepage of PCTP/MRPP (in Portuguese)

[1] It is pronounced [pɐɾˈtiðu kumuˈniʃtɐ ðuʃ tɾɐβɐʎɐˈðoɾɨʃ puɾtuˈɣezɨʃ / muviˈmẽtu ʁi.ɔɾɣɐnizɐˈtivu ðu pɐɾˈtiðu ðu pɾulɨtɐɾiˈaðu].

[2] "Autárquicas 2017 - Resultados". www.eleicoes.mai.gov.pt. Retrieved 13 February 2019.

[3] Botelho, Leonete. "Morreu Arnaldo Matos, fundador do MRPP". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2019.

[a]

[1]

[2]