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LV EXTERIOR Sports pavilion with CDS banner
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LV & SV INTERIOR Professor Diogo Freitas do Amaral addressing rally while crowd wave banners and listen (5 shots)
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SV PAN Banner-waving crowd PAN TO Professor waving at end of speech
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CU Banner-waving crowd cheering and chanting
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About three thousand people turned out to attend a rally organised by Portugal's Conservative Centre Democrats in the small town of Lourinha, fifty miles north of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, on Sunday.



The crowd was addressed by party leader, Professor Diogo Freitas do Amaral. Like his political rivals, Professor Amaral and his party are pressing for the revision of a pact which allows the Armed Forces Movement governing Portugal to control future civilian governments.



The country's five main political parties have been given until the thirtieth of December to suggest ways of revising the pact and it's understood that at least three of them want to see the President elected by the people and the MFA lose its present legislative powers.




Initials CL/2310 CL/2320



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: About 3,000 supporters of Portugal's Conservative Centre Democratic Party attended a rally in the small town of Lourinha, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Lisbon in Portugal last Sunday (21 December).

The rally was one of many similar rallies that have been organised by the country's major political parties in recent weeks in support of political reform in Portugal.

The five main political parties have been given until 30 December to suggest ways to revise a pact which gives the armed forces control over future civilian governments.

Representatives of the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) have been guiding Portugal since last year's overthrow of the former right-wing regime.

Although party spokesmen have refused to go into details it is understood that the Socialists, the Centrist Popular democrats and the Conservative Centre Democrats want the current pact, signed under radical left-wing pressure last April, to be revised on two key points.

They want the President elected by the people and also want the present Military Council of the Revolution to lose its present legislative powers.

At the Lourinha rally on Sunday the enthusiastic crowd was addressed by the leader of the CDS, Professor Diogo Freitas to Amaral.