As we have informed our readers, the Azorean Parliament couldn’t agree on a budget for the upcoming year; thus, after consulting with all political parties in the Azores and his State advisory council, the President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Reelo de Sousa, dissolved the Azorean Parliament and called for new elections to be held on February 4th.  Due to the importance of such an election, one that the national advisory council to the president voted unanimously in favor of, in contrast with the National elections (for March 10th) in which the same council was divided, NOVIDADES will feature between today and the 3rd of February (the day before the election) a series of news articles about the elections. These articles will be purely informational and cover all aspects of the political spectrum to inform Americans and Canadians of Azorean ancestry of the wide spectrum of voices in the Azrean system and hopefully have our Diaspora informed of the lively discussions that will take place in the next 6 weeks. Although the official campaign isn’t set to start until January 10th, all political forces in the Azores have been extremely active. We will update our readers regularly with objective information from all political forces through news reports from the major Azorean news outlets. The Azores have an amalgam of challenges but also many opportunities and the Azorean Diaspora can and should be an essential part of the Azorean world. For the Azorean regional elections, the candidacies of six parties have already been announced – PS, Pessoas-Animais-Natureza (PAN), Chega, Bloco de Esquerda (BE), Juntos pelo Povo (JPP) and Iniciativa Liberal (IL) – and two coalitions, PSD/CDS/PPM, which has governed the islands for the last three years, and CDU (PCP/PEV).(editor’s note).

PS wants to return to Power.

The PS will run in the early regional parliamentary elections in the Azores in February with “renewed” lists and to form a government in the archipelago once again, the leader of the Socialists in the archipelago, Vasco Cordeiro, said today.

“We are presenting absolutely renewed lists, with a renewal that reaches 75%, with a parity that goes beyond that determined by law, but which, above all, correspond to lists that mobilize the Azoreans in this extraordinary moment that the region is experiencing,” explained Vasco Cordeiro, leader of the PS/Açores, after the delivery of the lists of candidates at the Court of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel.

Arguing that the Azoreans need a “credible and stable” project for the next four years, Vasco Cordeiro considered that only the PS lists can guarantee these premises.

“What the Azores need is stability and what the current alleged government solution has proved is that it can’t guarantee stability,” said the socialist leader, referring to the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition, which led the regional government for the last three years, succeeding the executives led by Vasco Cordeiro between 2012 and 2020.

According to the PS regional leader, Azoreans will be called to the polls on February 4, 2024, only because the current right-wing government solution has “completely squandered” the parliamentary support in the Regional Legislative Assembly.

“The PS asserts itself as a force for stability, security, confidence and hope for the Azoreans,” he insisted, stressing that it is necessary to “recover the impetus for the development of the regional economy” and guarantee a progressive improvement in several social indicators, “which have been lost over the last three years.”

Vasco Cordeiro also criticized the “campaign of fear” that the right-wing parties are trying to promote on the islands regarding an alleged loss of rights if the PS returns to power in the region.

“It must be clear, with a PS government, no one will lose what they are entitled to,” said Vasco Cordeiro, stressing that the regional executive that emerges from the elections must also pay “on time” the support to sports clubs, social institutions and entrepreneurs.

In addition to Vasco Cordeiro, PS list leader for the São Miguel constituency and the regional compensation constituency, the PS lists also include João Vasco Costa, as list leader for Santa Maria, Andreia Cardoso for Terceira island, João Fernando Castro for Faial, Mário Tomé for Pico, Isabel Teixeira for São Jorge, José Ávila for Graciosa, José Eduardo for Flores and Lubélio Mendonça for Corvo.

The current mayor of Lagoa, Cristina Calisto, and the mayor of Povoação, Pedro Melo, are number two and three on the list for São Miguel.

Carlos César, former president of the Azorean government and current president of the national PS, is the list’s trustee.

The Azores will go to the polls on February 4, 2024, following the President of the Republic’s dissolution of the Regional Legislative Assembly due to the rejection of next year’s budget.

PSD calls for a governing majority in Parliament

The president of the PSD/Açores, José Manuel Bolieiro, today called for “a majority of government stability”, claiming that they have shortened the term of office of the Azorean government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM), but “increased the motivation” of the coalition parties.

“I humbly understand that it is in the interest of democracies and the Azores, in addition to democratic plurality, to have a majority that provides stability in government and allows the Azores to govern. It is important for all of us, not just for the candidates, but above all for the people, the economy, society and the Azores that our autonomy develops into a stable democracy, with governability and consistency in the public policies we have been developing,” he said.

José Manuel Bolieiro spoke to reporters after the list of candidates for the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition for the São Miguel constituency for the early regional elections on February 4, 2024, was handed over at the Ponta Delgada Court.

“They’ve shortened our time in office, but they’ve increased our motivation to do good, the good that the Azores need in stable governance,” said the president of the PSD/Açores, who will be the coalition’s list leader for the island of São Miguel.

José Manuel Bolieiro, who also leads the Azorean executive of the coalition that has governed the archipelago for the last three years, also said that PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM ensure “stability, reformist experience in the governance of the Azores” and “also allow the consistency of public policies” that have been developed in all areas of governance.

Regarding the lists presented, the PSD/Azores president said they have “good and excellent candidates” for “a good choice for the electorate”.

“Even so, we have so many other political assets who are not on the list, but who know that they are committed to this project of governing the Azores through competence and development,” he added.

Insisting that the regional executive has “done a lot” in “such a short time”, José Manuel Bolieiro said that this “seems to bother some, but it doesn’t bother the Azores and the Azoreans”, because the coalition wants “more and better” and is available to do what is still necessary.

Asked about the mandate of the mayors on the coalition’s lists, should they be elected, José Manuel Bolieiro replied that they are “political assets” to “be part of a political project of governance in the Azores.”

“There are candidates with prestigious mayors who also ensure the quality of the list and a close relationship between the elected representatives and the voters, all within the framework of legality,” he added.

In addition to José Manuel Bolieiro, the coalition has Paulo Estêvão, coordinator of the PPM/Açores (Corvo), Carlos Rodrigues, former mayor of Vila do Porto (Santa Maria), António Ventura, regional secretary for Agriculture (Terceira), João Bruto da Costa, parliamentary leader of the PSD/Açores (Graciosa), and Catarina Cabeceiras, current regional deputy of the CDS-PP (São Jorge).

Also running for the coalition are José António Soares, mayor of Madalena (Pico), Luís Garcia, president of the Azorean parliament (Faial), Bruno Belo, regional director of Entrepreneurship (Flores), and Alonso Miguel, regional secretary for the Environment, for the compensation constituency (which brings together the votes that are not used to elect parliamentarians in the nine island constituencies).

from LUSA news reports in Açoriano Oriental, Rui Paiva, Director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)