PORTUGAL: THE MAOIST MRPP PARTY OPEN THEIR ELECTION CAMPAIGN---AND HOLD A MINUTE'S SILENCE FOR A MEMBER SHOT IN A POSTER DISPUTE.

Record ID: 347437

  • Title: PORTUGAL: THE MAOIST MRPP PARTY OPEN THEIR ELECTION CAMPAIGN---AND HOLD A MINUTE'S SILENCE FOR A MEMBER SHOT IN A POSTER DISPUTE.
  • Date: 18th March 1976
  • Summary: 1. GV Party supporters chanting 0.05 2. SV & GV One minute's silence for MRPP member killed (2 shots) 0.26 3. SV Members make one fisted salute and listen to party song 0.30 4. SV Members chanting 0.38 5. GV Members listen to list of candidates being read out (3 shots) 0.45 6. SV List being read out followed by applause (2 shots)
  • Embargoed: 2nd April 1976 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LISBON, PORTUGAL
  • Country: Portugal
  • Reuters ID: LVA1LYI66COOQK8RKQ7UP77G96K8
  • Story Text: The extreme left wing MRPP (Movement for the Reorganisation of the Proletariat Party) launched its election campaign with a massive rally in Lisbon on Tuesday night ( 16 March).

    More than 7,000 enthusiastic party members cheered, chanted and showed their solidarity with single-fisted salutes as the lists of candidates were read out.

    But first there was a minute's silence for a party member shot dead, allegedly by a communist supporter, in a dispute over party posters. A poster war has flared in Lisbon. It was aggravated in the early hours of Tuesday morning when a group supporting the Portuguese Communist Party turned up outside an MRPP bookshop and pasted their propaganda over MRPP posters, according to eye witnesses.

    The MRPP, temporarily banned a year ago, is just one of 13 political parties which will be campaigning for the support of the Portuguese voters on April 25.

    The electors will be voting for the first free legislative assembly in Portugal in half a century.

    The MRPP is one of seven parties putting forward variations of communist policy -- including Marxists. Marxist-Leninists, Maoists and Trotskyists.

    Apart from the orthodox Portuguese Communist Party none of the seven is expected to get much more than one per cent of the vote. Last year in the preliminary poll for a constituent assembly the Communist party got 12.5 per cent of the vote and an ally the MDP-CDE four per cent. The parties of the far left polled a total of four per cent.

    The Socialist Party which emerged as leader last time with 38 per cent of the vote s now fighting for survival. Its chief rival the liberal Popular Democrats feels confident of coming out on top with the help of some of the 350,000 refugees from Angola.

    SYNOPSIS: An election rally for Portugal's Maoist MRPP in Lisbon Tuesday night. It began with a minute's silence for a party member shot dead in a bitter poster war with rival groups fighting for scarce wall space.

    The MRPP blamed communist supporters for the death. Trouble flared again early Tuesday as communist supporters covered over MRPP posters.

    Seven of the 13 parties contesting Portugal's elections on April 25 represent some form of communist belief--among them the MRPP--the Movement for the Reorganisation of the Proletariat Party.

    Last year the party was banned--but now they're putting forward a long list of candidates for election. But apart from the Portuguese Communist party, none of the far left parties are expected to get much more than one per cent of the vote.

    MRPP Central Committee member Danilo Matos told nearly 8,000 party supporters their party had the political programme which could solve all Portugal's many political, economic and social problems. But with the return of be Angolan refugees Portuguese politics have been shifting to the right. The Popular Democrats are expected to win, pushing the Socialists into second place.
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