Portugal poised to celebrate 50 years of democracy

Armoured cars played a central role in Portugal's Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974. [AFP]

Portugal on Thursday marks 50 years since the Carnation Revolution, a military coup that ended its colonial wars in Africa and ushered in a democracy that has recently had a brush with the far right.

On April 25, 1974, the oldest authoritarian regime in Western Europe at the time fell within a matter of hours, virtually without bloodshed, thanks to an uprising by non-commissioned officers that was immediately backed by the public.