The PSD/CDS/PPM coalition won the elections, and José Manuel Bolieiro promised to govern, expecting each party to assume its responsibilities. The collation won 26 seats in Parliament. The PS came in second with 23 seats.
CHEGA grew to 5 seats, and the Left Bloc lost one of its two. The Liberal Initiative and PAN retain one seat each. The CDU was, once again, left out of the Azorean Parliament.

Bolieiro will govern with a relative majority.

The leader of the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition, José Manuel Bolieiro, said that, by winning yesterday’s regional elections, he will govern with a “relative majority” and that each party with parliamentary seats will assume their responsibilities.
José Manuel Bolieiro said he was “happy and joyful for the confidence they give me and the responsibility they give me to continue governing the Azores in the name and service of my people.”
“We are strengthening autonomy and democracy in the Azores with the strong mobilization of voters for political participation and electoral participation,” he said.
“A victory that gave us 42% of the vote with 48,668 votes. We increased by 5,297 votes. It is by growing that we confirm our confidence and the path that we are pursuing”, a victory that was expressed “in the wrong way” in 6 of the 9 islands of the Azores, in 13 of the 19 municipalities of the Azores and in 106 of the 155 parishes of the Region.
“I’m crystal clear today. When I heard the election results, I felt that the spirit of the mission we fulfilled was worth it,” he stressed.


He also said he would maintain his political and personal profile, “dialoguing, conciliatory, with a sense of mission, with the responsibility of not leaving anyone behind. But to lead without giving in to blackmail, leading with dialogue and consultation within the parliamentary framework and within the whole of Azorean society, on all the islands.” In particular, he thanked the people of São Miguel who “really made a commitment of honor to me here. We have not only increased our vote, we have won the island of São Miguel, we have increased a mandate and we must consider in the regional framework this project that does not leave São Miguel behind, it promotes the Azores with everyone”.
He referred to the presence of Luís Montenegro: “He came to the Azores to be with me and to support me, but also to honor his word to the whole of Portugal: to visit all the municipalities in Portugal until he becomes prime minister.” He added: “I will govern with a relative majority. And it’s not a minority, a victory is never a minority, it’s a majority of victories and mandates,” said José Manuel Bolieiro with conviction. ”As always in European and Western democracy, you can’t put relative majorities in crisis with negative coalitions in opposition. And if they do, everyone takes responsibility,” he said, referring to the PS/A, which, in his opinion, led to a “negative majority” that brought the failed Plan and Budget for 2024 and caused early elections. The PS/A “was defeated in its objective. And I think the PS also has to read this. Stop campaigning negatively, stop leading a negative coalition”. Bolieiro thanked “the CDS and the PPM and their structures which, in fact, affirmed two expressions that many tried to destroy and which we, on the contrary, built. Cohesion in the coalition is a sense of mission to the people and our democracy. Governance, not according to the interests of the parties, but in the name and mission of serving our people well,” he said.
“That’s why this cohesion was worth it, why this leadership was worth recognizing, a prime minister of Portugal (referring to Montenegro as a leader the leader of the PSD that will be running for prime-minister in march) who knows how to recognize Portugal as a whole, who is a friend of the Azores, a friend of political autonomy, a friend of governance and of a country that sees its Atlantic projection not as a burden but as an opportunity for Portugal to have prominence in Europe and in the world,” he stressed. Montenegro, for his part, praised the victory of the PSD/ CDS(PPM) Coalition with words of praise for José Manuel Bolieiro. JP/FF

in Atlântico Expresso-Natalino Viveiros, 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)