In Sunday’s local elections, the PSD successfully re-elected Pedro Nascimento Cabral for a second term as the head of the largest municipality in the Azores, with 33.88% (10,400 votes) securing three mandates, although it lost the absolute majority it previously held with five councilors.
Trailing behind was the movement Ponta Delgada Para Todos, led by Sónia Nicolau, securing 26.07% (8,003 votes) and matching the PSD’s seat count with three mandates.
The coalition of PS/BE/PAN/Livre obtained two mandates with 17.95% (5,509 votes), and Chega managed to elect a councilor in Ponta Delgada for the first time with 14.58% (4,477 votes).
This marks the first occurrence since 1976, when local elections commenced, that the winning party in the municipality doesn’t have an absolute majority in the executive.
Since the establishment of democracy, the PSD has predominantly presided over the Ponta Delgada City Council, except between 1989 and 1993, when the socialists, in coalition with the CDS-PP, claimed leadership from the social democrats.
Currently, the PSD, having triumphed in the 2021 elections with 48.76%, faces opposition from four PS councilors, who secured 37.33% four years ago.
In the aftermath of the electoral night, Nascimento Cabral pledged to work towards ensuring stability through an “open dialogue” with other political forces.
“The only change here is the makeup of the municipal executive because, indeed, there are new political and citizen forces entering the municipal executive, but we will always maintain an open dialogue with all political forces and with the citizens’ movement,” stated the mayor.
Meanwhile, the Ponta Delgada Para Todos Movement claimed that “enforcing a management that prioritizes dialogue” represents the “greatest achievement” of the candidacy led by Sónia Nicolau, a teacher and former regional and municipal deputy of the PS.
