Vânia Ferreira, Marco Martins, and Francisco Lima walk into a bar. This could be the beginning of this brief analysis. It is not a dive into the parties’ electoral programs, because, to my knowledge, they are not yet available at the time of writing.

It is an approach to two podcast interviews, conducted with the current president and the socialist candidate, as well as a written interview with the Chega candidate. Rodrigo Maia da Silva recently launched a podcast, titled “Talvez não saiba nada” (Maybe I don’t know anything), in partnership with Ramo Grande Studio, where he interviews local figures.

Taking advantage of the local elections, he devoted himself to interviewing the candidates for Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória, within their availability. In a dynamic, different, and even entertaining way, he began this commendable journey with the current president, Vânia Ferreira, followed by Marco Martins, for the PS.

The Social Democrat appeared to be clearly uncomfortable. I don’t mean this in a personal way. I respect the difficulties of a woman in politics, in all its dimensions. It’s just that Vânia is not, from the outset, a charismatic person, as any resident of Praia will know. Worse than that was the way she responded to almost all of the host’s friendly provocations, with the heavy and cold expression of someone who was not enjoying the joke. In her own words, she seems to prefer to argue. Marco Martins, candidate for the Socialist Party and former regional director of Social Solidarity, arrived with a smile on his face, revealing his genuine character as someone who knows how to navigate politics and, fundamentally, understands the function of politics. Perhaps too easy, some will say. What is certain is that the stance between these two faces was clearly marked.

When confronted with the past, Marco Martins acknowledged that mistakes had been made and that alternative options would need to be considered for the future of the municipality. The presence of a highly experienced voice in his candidacy for the Municipal Assembly was noted, a quality that Marco shares with Fátima Amorim. It is essential to note that Luísa Brasil resides in Lajes and has a personal and political background. She is an unavoidable figure in culture and a reference for many people. In my view, she is someone who is sorely missed in the political landscape. For her part, Vânia enters her comfort zone when confronted with the dismissals promoted by her executive. There is a radical change in the way the current president behaves, talking about terminating contracts as if she were discussing eradicating diseases or receiving gifts, replying at one point that “everything was calculated,” and pointing to the example of her household management to compare it with the management of the local authority. I wonder if that were the case, with the number of layoffs made and the money spent on the SIC soap opera, it would be a project to buy a new garage for the house and put the in-laws to sleep in the backyard.

He also talks about business management as a good example. Numbers always come before human beings. That’s neoliberalism. Nothing social democratic. What he forgot to mention, but which is also revealing of his stance, was the delay in paying back pay to those people he made a point of firing, but failed to do so. I am referring to the workers at Praia Cultural.

Vânia deals with administrative issues and the controversies of the day, showing perseverance, but also strangely proud of having been born on Praia Day, as if it were her achievement and not a universal coincidence.

At the end of the interviews, conducted separately but discussed here together due to time constraints, what emerges is an idea of immense possibilities and few certainties, apart from the fact that Marco Martins has the necessary profile to restore the credibility that politics so badly needs. He acknowledges his internal disagreements, demonstrates knowledge, and reveals enormous empathy.

Francisco Lima, in an interview with Diário Insular on August 9, tells us what he is coming for. An apocalyptic speech that paints Praia da Vitória with the colors of blood in the streets and installs him as the savior of a homeland shrouded in mist. He accuses his opponents of fostering a climate of fear, intimidation, and persecution. I never know if it is worth recalling the dozens (or perhaps hundreds) of accusations that his party has already made after only a few years of existence. There are so many allegations of threats that it becomes redundant to discuss them, as they may be liable to future and more forceful revenge.

Instead, I choose to thank him for his kind words when he refers to those he sought to help at Praia Cultural. In this, he was not mistaken. It is a pity he does not do so more often. For example, when he mentions that the PS persecuted businesspeople, and then talks about the need to reinvest in the Terceira Tech Island project, a project decimated by Vânia and Bolieiro. What you don’t identify is the businessman who was persecuted, and why he returns to crucify his persecutors, coming out of the shadows of Salazarist obscurantism. You want to extinguish Praia Ambiente, after being against the way the layoffs were carried out at Praia Cultural. Perhaps it is a proposal to apply glyphosate against the supposed ‘gravy trains’ that you advocate for exterminating. You want to invest and grow. You just don’t say how. The thing is, plants don’t grow with poison. But there is a proposal for music in the city and the use of the beach. Perhaps your regional leader will start traveling to Praia da Vitória every month to hold a fundraising concert for the municipality.

So Marco leaves the bar. Let’s hope they choose to leave Vânia and Francisco inside. Nothing good will come of those winds. The man who wanted to sell us journalism as a sharp snake that will decapitate with artificial intelligence does not bring good news in his candidacy.

Not being a resident of the municipality, but believing in the potential of Praia da Vitória as a lever for the social and economic development of the region, I want to think that the residents will recognize the values that Marco Martins carries, and that the secret vote, cast in the ballot box, will be the democratic tool that will elect him to change the course of the municipality. Praia cannot despair.

Alexandra Manes is from Flores Island but lives in Terceira Island, Azores. She is a regular contributing writer for several Azorean newspapers, a political and cultural activist, and has served in the Azorean Parliament.

NOVIDADES will feature occasional opinion pieces from various leading thinkers and writers from the Azores, providing the diaspora and those interested in the current state of the Azores with a sense of the significant opinions on some of the archipelago’s issues.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL).