The Representative of the Republic for the Autonomous Region of the Azores, Pedro Catarino, is due to hear the political parties with deputies elected to the Legislative Assembly on February 19 and 20, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
In a statement sent to the press, he said he was waiting for the official map of the election results to be published in the Diário da República.
The meeting with the parties aims to appoint the President of the Regional Government and, subsequently, a new Executive.
Following the legislative elections held last Sunday, the Representative of the Republic “congratulates all Azoreans, voters and candidates, for the impeccable way in which the electoral process was carried out and, in particular, for the example of civic participation, which was also reflected in a significant reduction in abstention”, reads a statement sent to DI.
According to provisional official figures, the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition won the legislative elections with 42.08% of the vote.
It elected 26 deputies but fell three short of an absolute majority.
The PS was the second force in the region, with the election of 23 mandates, equivalent to 35.91% of the votes.
The Chega party, with 9.19%, won five seats.
The day before the elections – the day of reflection – Ambassador Pedro Catarino called Azoreans to vote in an interview he gave Diário Insular.
He said at the time that civic participation is important, but that having a good level of participation in community life and not voting is like “dying on the beach”.
The response of the Azoreans to the elections was, this time, higher than usual.

in Diário Insualr–José Lourenço-director

Note: Amabassdor Pedro Catarino was Portugal’s ambassador to the United States in the early 2000s.

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)