José Manuel Rodrigues (CDS-PP) states in a note sent to newsrooms, “Álvaro Monjardino was one of the great references for the autonomy of the Portuguese archipelagos and an uncompromising defender of its deepening,” adding that “he leaves a relevant doctrinal legacy for new generations.”
The president of the Madeiran parliament also mentions that the Azorean “collaborated in various initiatives of the Madeira parliament and participated in person in the work of the Commission for the Deepening of Autonomy and Reform of the Political System of the Legislative Assembly.”
“To the family and the Azorean people, I extend my heartfelt condolences,” the note reads.
Álvaro Monjardino, who died on Friday at the age of 94 in his homeland, was born on October 6, 1930, in the parish of Conceição, in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island.
With a law degree, he was affiliated with the PSD and held various political positions, such as deputy to the regional parliament in the 1st and 2nd legislatures (for the Graciosa electoral circle) and in the 3rd legislature (for the Terceira electoral circle), having been elected president of the Azorean parliament in the first two legislatures (1976/1978 and 1979/1984).
He was also a member of the Regional Board of the Azores, in the area of Economic Coordination and Finance, and held the position of Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister in the 4th Constitutional Government, led by Carlos Mota Pinto (1978-1979).
Álvaro Monjardino was also president of the board of the Historical Institute of Terceira Island (1984-1999), a corresponding member of the Portuguese Academy of History, and one of the “main architects” of the process that led to the classification of the historic center of Angra do Heroísmo as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
On September 3, 2021, during the celebrations of the 45th anniversary of regional autonomy, he was honored by the Legislative Assembly at the inauguration of the Azorean parliament library – named since that date as the Álvaro Monjardino Library – in a ceremony presided over by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Álvaro Monjardino’s wake began today at 2:00 PM local time (3:00 PM in Lisbon) at the Misericórdia church in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island, and the funeral will take place on Sunday at 10:00 AM local time, the family informed.
