Comrades,

When we talk about the role of cadres, we are talking about the structural base of our Party. They, the cadres, are the factor on which all our action, intervention and party activity is based.

Without them, without the many, many thousands of comrades - men, women, young people - who drive our Party, who give it body, who give it life, who make it work, our Party would not be in a position to respond, as it has responded, to the problems it faces.

The Party's irreplaceable role in national political life would not be possible without the selfless, generous and revolutionary contribution of thousands of cadres who, at different levels of responsibility, carry out a wide variety of tasks to meet the demands of strengthening the Party and making the Party different from all the other parties on the national political scene.

This reality means that the work of the leadership must recognise what this means and constantly attribute more responsibilities to new cadres. It must be recognised that calling or electing a comrade to a body means that he or she must be given a regular task.

The National Conference “Taking the initiative. Strengthening the Party. Responding to the new demands”, which we held in November 2022, adopted a set of guidelines, including attributing responsibilities to a thousand new cadres.

Today, we can say that this objective has not only been achieved, and with commitment, determination and audacity, it has already been surpassed.

Perhaps many of the comrades who have taken on tasks since then are here with us today, helping our Party to continue to fulfil its role as always, for a fairer and fraternal society, for socialism and communism.

Comrades,

We have a number of valuable cadres, highly dedicated to the Party, whose action and intervention is essential for the implementation of our objectives. It is these cadres, together with the thousands of militants who are active, firm and dedicated, closely linked to the interests of the workers and the people, their problems and aspirations, who, in connection with the concrete reality, also form the fundamental basis for the correctness of our analyses and decisions.

The experience gathered by our Party shows us that a correct policy of cadres is central to the success of our organisational and intervention work and is a fundamental aspect of the work of the leadership. However, despite the positive steps that have been taken in this area, there are still shortcomings and delays in improving the knowledge, accountability and monitoring of cadres that need to be overcome.

Sometimes the evaluation of cadres is done superficially, unilaterally, with a lack of critical and self-critical spirit, emphasising only successes or only mistakes, underestimating essential aspects, which, based on real difficulties or insufficient knowledge, prevent other comrades from taking on tasks, gaining experience, revealing abilities and potential to take on more responsibilities.

The conditions in which we are fighting today demand that our cadres be increasingly well prepared, diversified and capable of responding on a political and ideological level.

Cadres do not turn up out of thin air, they do not form spontaneously, they do not appear by chance. They emerge and develop from the militants of our Party, in the companies, in the factories, on the various fronts of struggle in which the PCP intervenes. They are formed through activity, intervention and struggle, in daily contact with reality. It is there, through their intervention and overcoming difficulties, that the characteristic traits of Party cadres are revealed and formed.

The political and ideological preparation of cadres is a fundamental task, and while it is the responsibility of the organisations, it is also the duty of the cadres. The preparation of younger cadres, combined with the experience of other cadres and based on collective work, must be seen as indispensable to the development and strengthening of our Party.

The study of Party documents and the works of Marxism-Leninism, the theoretical principles, combined with the practice and experience of our Party, knowledge of the history of the PCP and the process of the Portuguese Revolution are indispensable aspects, fundamental to raising the political and ideological level.

Among the Party's cadres, we value and highlight the Party officials, for their indispensable role in the functioning, intervention and affirmation of the Party.

Being a Party official is a life choice. It means giving oneself to the struggle for a political ideal, for a new society, without exploited or exploiters, for socialism and communism.

We have a boundless source of potential in the masses, among the working class and the workers, within the Party, within the JCP. With audacity, with organisation and leadership, with determination, we will be able to find the necessary forces and cadres so that this Party, the Portuguese Communist Party, can continue to fulfil its role as always.

Long live the XXII Congress!

Long live the PCP!