The Portuguese Communist Party is a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Portugal. It is one of the strongest communist parties in Western Europe and the oldest Portuguese political party with uninterrupted existence. It is characterized as a far-left party on the political spectrum. Since 1987, it runs to any national, local and European elections in coalition with the Ecologist Party "The Greens" (PEV), assembled in the Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU).
After the death of its secretary-general, Bento Gonçalves, in the Tarrafal concentration camp, the Party went through a period, from 1942 to 1961, without a secretary-general. In 1961, the historic leader Álvaro Cunhal was elected.