Portuguese Workers' Communist Party/Re-Organized Movement of the Party of the Proletariat Partido Comunista dos Trabalhadores Portugueses/Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado | |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviation | PCTP/MRPP |
| Leader | Maria Cidália Guerreiro |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Lisbon |
| Youth wing | Marxist–Leninist Students Federation (until 1980s) |
| Ideology | |
| 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 |
| Election symbol | |
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| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| lutapopularonline | |
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ThePortuguese 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 aMaoistpolitical party inPortugal.
The party was founded in 1970 as theMovimento 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 aMaoist 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 theCarnation Revolution, especially among students inLisbon. 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, includingJosé Manuel Durão Barroso andFernando 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 thePortuguese Communist Party of being an agent of theCIA, a belief that was fueled by cooperation between the MRPP and theSocialist Party against thecommunist program defended by thePortuguese Communist Party.[citation needed]
The party's youth wing, now extinct, was theMarxist–Leninist Students' Federation, to whichJosé Manuel Durão Barroso, a future Prime Minister from the centre-rightSocial Democratic Party, briefly belonged.
The party entered a phase of internal turmoil following the2015 legislative elections, with its leaderAntónio 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 the2017 local elections, gaining 12,387 votes (0.24%) but losing the two council seats they held.[1]
On 22 February 2019Arnaldo Matos, founder and leader of the PCTP/MRPP since 1970, died.[2]
| 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 | |
| 2025 | 11,896 | 0.2 (#13) | 0 / 230 | 0 | No seats |
| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | SupportedAntónio Ramalho Eanes | Won Y | ||
| 1981 | SupportedAntónio Ramalho Eanes | WonY | ||
| 1986 | No candidate | |||
| 1991 | No candidate | |||
| 1996 | No candidate | |||
| 2001 | António Garcia Pereira | 68,900 | 1.9 (#5) | Lost N |
| 2006 | António Garcia Pereira | 23,983 | 0.4 (#6) | LostN |
| 2011 | SupportedManuel Alegre | LostN | ||
| 2016 | SupportedAntónio Sampaio da Nóvoa | LostN | ||
| 2021 | No candidate | |||
| 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 | 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 |
| Parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic (230) |
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| Legislative Assembly of the Azores Autonomous Region (57) |
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| Legislative Assembly of the Madeira Autonomous Region (47) |
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| European Parliament (21) | |
| Non-parliamentary parties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
