“To those who assumed, by their victory, the executive responsibility of the parishes and municipalities, I congratulate you on the trust received. I assure you of the Government’s institutional commitment to work diligently and impartially with everyone to do our best for our people and the development of the entire Azores, each municipality and each parish,” stated José Manuel Bolieiro.
The head of the regional government, who today delivered a political statement on the first day of this month’s plenary session of the regional parliament in Horta, on Faial Island, pledged to “maintain the financial cooperation enhancement” established with the local authorities.
“To the municipalities, we have settled the debt of the variable IRS rate and now it will be regarding the so-called tourist VAT. And for the parishes, we are maintaining the regional financial cooperation fund, which this year approved projects worth 7.8 million euros,” he said.
In Sunday’s local elections, according to Bolieiro, “the political project governing the Azores achieved the highest number of municipalities and parish councils,” enabling leadership of the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (AMRAA) and the Regional Delegation of the National Association of Parishes (Anafre).
“We note this fact as a responsibility to continue working. However, working with everyone. We separate the context of each electoral act, but interpret the trend,” he added.
The leader of the Regional Government mentioned he does not engage “in the dialectic of who won and who lost,” as “that is for the parties,” but noted that since taking office in 2020, the Azores are now “better,” highlighting areas like health, education, employment, housing, agriculture, and tourism, among others.
“We must be as ambitious today as we were in 2020. In the government, in parliament, and local power. In society and the economy. We want the Azores to be a benchmark for quality of life, in social justice, in opportunities for young people, in dignity for the elderly, and security for families,” he said.
The PSD won more municipal councils in the Azores, either alone or in coalition, in Sunday’s local elections, despite the PS obtaining a higher percentage of votes, according to provisional data from the Ministry of Internal Administration.
The social democrats claimed the presidency of nine of the 19 municipalities in the Azores, one in coalition with CDS-PP and one in coalition with CDS-PP and PPM.
With 24.71% of the votes, the PSD won one more council than in 2021, reclaiming Calheta, which had been led by the movement Dar Vida ao Concelho for the last three terms.
The PS, which received more votes (35.14%), secured eight municipal councils, one less than in 2021, losing Santa Cruz das Flores, which it managed for 24 years, to the Civic Movement for the Municipality led by Elisabete Nóia, who was vice-president of the municipality in this term, elected by the PS.
The CDS-PP regained control of the municipality of Velas, which it has led since 2013.
