Communist Party of Portugal (Marxist–Leninist)

A small far-left political group created in 1970, from the Portuguese Marxist–Leninist Committee (CMLP), which had been founded in 1964 by Francisco Martins Rodrigues.

The party was gradually divided between a wing in exile, led by Heduíno Gomes, also known as Eduíno Vilar, and a wing in the interior of Portugal, led by Carlos Janeiro, known by the pseudonym Mendes.

From May 1974 onwards, the split between the two factions was consummated, with both calling themselves "PCP(m-l)". The Vilar faction ended up with the acronym, having created the Worker–Peasant Alliance (AOC) as an "electoral front" to stand in the 1975 elections (AOC was banned from standing in these elections; in the following ones, both AOC and PCP(m-l) competed). The opposing faction gave rise to the Popular Unity Party.

The main difference between the new party of Heduíno Gomes and the original of Martins Rodrigues had to do with the status of the main enemy of each of them: while the latter always maintained that the main enemies of the people were «monopolies and North American imperialism», Vilar's party chose the PCP, «Cunhal's Social-Fascism» and «Russian Social-Imperialism» as its primary targets. (Heduíno Gomes left the party in the 1980s, having dedicated himself to business activity in the area of ​​music, and is today a prominent PSD activist, associated with the most conservative faction of this party.)

Vilar's party had close relations to the Chinese Communist Party. It led the Democratic Portugal-China Friendship Association (ADAP-C).

In May 1974 the general secretary of the Communist Party of Portugal (Marxist–Leninist) (in Portuguese: Partido Comunista de Portugal (Marxista-Leninista)) was expelled, forming his own similarly-named party. Like the other PCP(M-L), Vilar's PCP(M-L) had a publication titled Unidade Popular.

At the VIII congress of the Party in March 1980 it was decided to dissolve the PCP(m-l).

Leader: Manuel Martins