On the afternoon of October 31, the installation of the new members of the Municipal Council (CMH) and the Municipal Assembly of Horta (AMH) for the 2025-2029 term took place in the Noble Hall of the Town Hall. From the Juntos pelo Faial Coalition, Teresa Faria Ribeiro, Rui Martins, Carlos Morais, Helena Sequeira, Hugo Parente, José Barros, Susete Amaro, Miguel Leal, Délcio Martins, Ana Filipa Rodrigues, Patrícia Escobar, Carlos Faria, and Salomé Matos were elected to the AMH. Vítor Pimentel, Vera Lacerda, Ana Paula Menezes, Luís Carlos Prieto, Filipe Menezes, and Vera Escobar took office on behalf of the Socialist Party (PS). André Goulart, from the Democratic Unity Coalition (CDU), and Aurora Ribeiro, from the Left Bloc (BE), who is joining the AMH for the first time, also began their terms.

The parish council presidents, who had already been invested in their respective parishes and, by virtue of their positions, are also members of the AMH, also took the oath of office. They are, it should be noted, Carlos Nunes, from Angústias, Anabela Costa, from Capelo, Vítor Mourinho, from Castelo Branco; Paulo Vargas, from Cedros, Francisco Garcia, from Conceição, Hildeberto Garcia, from Feteira, José Amaral, from Flamengos, Laurénio Tavares, from Matriz, José da Terra Carlos, from Pedro Miguel, Mara Dias, from Praia do Almoxarife, Luís Magalhães, from Praia do Norte, Paula Rodrigues, from Ribeirinha, and Sérgio Gomes, from Salão.

Subsequently, Carlos Ferreira was sworn in as mayor, and Maria Antónia Dutra, Inês Sá, Eduardo Pereira, Andy Rodrigues, Frederico Soares, and Marlene Bettencourt were sworn in as councilors. Following this, the re-elected mayor took the floor. He called on everyone to work together to dignify politics and democracy and to know how to “work with dignity, dialogue, and respect, always putting Faial above any differences.” “Continue to put people at the center of municipal policies.” Meanwhile, the AMH Board was elected. The only list presented, led by Teresa Faria Ribeiro and also composed of Helena Sequeira and Carlos Nunes as secretaries, was approved with 28 votes in favor, three against, and three abstentions. DR return to the work entrusted to us by the voters.” The municipal deputy of the BE then spoke. Aurora Ribeiro stressed that the party wants “a Faial that is an example in the Azores and in the world, an open, welcoming, supportive island with a future.” “We will be available to collaborate institutionally with the Assembly Board and the City Council, always in a constructive spirit and in the public service. But we also reaffirm, without hesitation, that we will not relinquish our role as the opposition to monitor, question, discuss, and, whenever necessary, criticize the executive in light of the values and policies we defend,” she assured. This was followed by a speech by André Goulart. The CDU municipal deputy recalled that “it is urgent to define once and for all who does what, who to call when necessary, but also how to hold those who do not comply accountable, including negligent owners.” “We want a mandate in which the AM is always the home of all the people of Faial. It is our voice that you can also count on for everything that is useful for Faial, and our firm voice when it is necessary to defend what is fair,“ he pointed out. ”The term of office that is now beginning continues the change that the people of Faial determined in 2021. It supports a cycle of commitment to the social, economic, sporting, and cultural development of our island. From today onward, this is the municipal executive for all Faial residents, working with everyone and for everyone. We will continue to engage in dialogue, act with humility, dedication, and a democratic spirit, and serve with a sense of mission,” he assured, noting that they will.

Then it was Délcio Martins’ turn to speak. The municipal deputy elected by the Popular Monarchist Party (PPM), which is part of the Together for Faial Coalition alongside the CDS-Popular Party (CDS-PP) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), considered that “there is much more to be done.” “We call for dialogue and cooperation among all, because what unites us, I believe, is much greater than what separates us,” he said. Rui Martins then spoke. Representing the CDS-PP municipal group, he declared that his party will engage in “frank, responsible dialogue that guarantees the necessary conditions for designing… That trust is a source of pride for us, but above all a duty. A duty to serve, to propose, and to oversee with rigor and democratic loyalty. We have four years of demanding work ahead of us, but also of opportunity. Opportunity to contribute ideas and proposals that help solve the challenges of our municipality and improve the lives of the people of Faial,” he noted. Vítor Pimentel spoke on behalf of the PS municipal group. The deputy stressed that they will be “attentive and vigilant, exercising a firm supervisory role,” but “also available for dialogue and cooperation whenever solutions that serve the collective interest of our island are at stake.” “We understand the opposition not as a space for sterile confrontation, but as an essential instrument of democracy, a space for scrutiny, proposals, and dialogue. It is our responsibility to oversee the actions of the executive, but also to contribute to the construction of solutions that serve the common good,“ he said.

Hugo Parente spoke at the end of the municipal groups’ interventions. The PSD municipal deputy emphasized the need for unity and to focus action on the mission, ”because governing is as noble as overseeing.” “The contradictory plurality, now reinforced with another political force in this Assembly, will always be a new opportunity to clarify, affirm options, and humbly take paths when contributions recommend it, because the respect of those who elected us demands it,” he said. The president of the AMH was responsible for closing the session. Teresa Faria Ribeiro stated that she will continue “in this term with the same dedication and the same attitude of openness and transparency, but also with the same rigor and sense of responsibility and respect for all municipal deputies, for the City Council, and, above all, for the citizens.” “The AMH will always be open and available to all citizens, looking after the interests of the municipality and the people of Faial above all else,” she concluded.

In Tribuna das Ilhas, Susan Garcia, director (Photos from the Municipality of Horta)

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.