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In a parliament with 57 deputies, the PS needed 29 seats to achieve an absolute majority that has been repeated in the last two decades in the Azores. Since 1996, the Socialists have led the Autonomous Community, first with Carlos César and then with Vasco Cordeiro, starting in 2012.
However, As in the first electoral victory of 1996, also this Sunday – and for the second time in history – the PS failed to renew the absolute majority achieved in the elections of 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, having achieved only 25 mandates, with 39.13 percent of the vote.
In a first reaction to these results, the regional leader of the Socialists and current head of the Regional Government, Vasco Cordeiro, stressed that the PS obtained a “clear and unequivocal” victory despite the fact that it does not enjoy an absolute majority.
The official said that the PS continues to be a “benchmark of stability” for the Azores, but promised to look at what “the parliamentary framework requires” resulting from the elections this Sunday.
At last, The regional leader also said he was available to work, “in dialogue, in concert” so that “it is the Azores and the Azoreans who win” the conditions to overcome the context of the pandemic..
But faced with a more fragmented parliament, other parties were also open to dialogue. This is the case of the PSD, which managed to secure 21 mandates, reaching 33.7 percent of the votes.
José Manuel Bolieiro, leader of PSD Azores, underlines that this survey represents a “historic change” for the Azores, considering that, from now on, it will be in parliament where the political decision is centered.
The Social Democrat also congratulated the parties that won seats in the regional parliament for the first time, assuming a position of “dialogue” to defend the interests of the Azores.
Asked about the PSD coalitions, José Manuel Bolieiro admits that these elections left a “multipurpose framework” in which “anything” can happen, including a solution from the opposition leadership..
The orange regional leader was willing to assume responsibility but never through a “unilateral” declaration, that is, without speaking to other parties.
Regarding the availability to dialogue with Chega, who elected two deputies, José Manuel Bolieiro says that dialogue in parliament “does not exclude anyone”.
“I must affirm today, as always, that extremist and populist attitudes do not move me, nor do I believe that they are of interest to Azoreans, but I also believe that Azoreans have already shown, and their representatives, that they are neither extremists nor populists” , he stressed.
In reaction to the results, the national leaders of the PS and PSD did not want to interfere in the constitution of the regional government and in the decisions of local structures.
António Costa congratulated PS Açores for the victory, but said that it is up to the archipelago party to find solutions.
Rui Rio highlighted the “frankly positive” result of PSD Açores, but assumed the difficulty of designing a contraption on the right to rule the archipelago.
The CDS-PP was the third most voted political force, with 5.5 percent of the vote. The party manages to elect three deputies to which another member of parliament adds, in coalition with the PPM.
“It was a helpful vote for the change the Azores need”said Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, president of the CDS-PP, adding that the party “leads the right.”
Three new parties, outgoing CDU
The election is also marked by significant exits and entrances in the regional parliament. From the beginning, the CDU was unable to guarantee the reelection of the only deputy elected in 2016, with only 1.6 percent of the vote.
The PCP recognized that the CDU had “a particularly negative result” and that the non-election of a deputy means “democratic impoverishment”. The scenario of the 2004 elections is repeated, when the communists could not guarantee a seat in the regional parliament either.
Pedro Filipe Soares, parliamentary leader of the Left Bloc, stated in the reading of the ballot that the two elected candidates “can do whatever it takes”.
However, one of the great highlights of the night is the entry of three new parties on the scene: Chega, who participated for the first time in this regional election, debuts as the fourth political force, with 5 percent of the votes. André Ventura’s party can thus elect two deputies.
The Liberal Initiative, which was presented for the first time to the Azores legislative assembly, also obtained 1.93 percent of the vote, guaranteeing the election of a deputy.
The PAN, which had already participated in the 2016 elections, managed to enter the regional parliament for the first time this year, guaranteeing a mandate.
On this electoral night, the PPM managed to elect another deputy, in addition to the representative in coalition with the CDS-PP.
Also note the abstention in these elections, which was 54.58 percent, the second highest in history, but still below the abstention rate observed in 2016..
Four years ago, abstention in the regional elections of the Azores reached 59.16 percent, an absolute record in these votes. Practically in unison, all party leaders, regional and national, saluted the Azoreans for reducing the number of abstentions in what was the first vote in a pandemic context.
