Boleiro will present the new leadership on Friday

The President-designate of the regional government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolheiro, will on Friday present the composition of the XIV Executive Authority of the Azores to the representative of the Republic in the region, an official presidential source confirmed to Luse.

The meeting between José Manuel Bolheiro and the representative of the Republic of the Azores, Pedro Catarino, is scheduled for Friday at 9:30 (10:30 in Lisbon) at the Solar da Madre de Deus, in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.

According to Article 81 of the Political-Administrative Statute of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, “regional vice-presidents, secretaries and deputy secretaries are appointed and dismissed by the representative of the Republic on the proposal of the president of the regional government. “.

The same article determines that “the regional government takes office before the Legislative Assembly.”

The decree appointing members of the new Azores executive is due to be published in the Diário da República before the inauguration, scheduled for Monday.

“The ceremonial inaugural meeting of the XIV Regional Government of the Azores will take place on March 4, 2024 at 15.00 at the headquarters of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in the city of Horta,” he indicated. Azores Parliament.

Asked on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a visit to the Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL), about the composition of the new government, Jose Manuel Bolheiro, who has headed the Azores executive since 2020, did not want to reveal names or any changes. In the organisation. .

“Let’s say I have it all in my head, and in due time I will make a good advertisement,” he said.

José Manuel Bolheiro, president of the PSD/Azores and leader of the PSD/CDU/PPM coalition, who won the elections on February 4 without an absolute majority, was appointed chairman of the regional government on the 20th by the representative of the Republic of the Azores, Pedro Catarino.

According to the Political-Administrative Statute, “the chairman of the regional government is appointed as a representative of the Republic, taking into account the results of elections to the Legislative Assembly after consultation with the political parties represented in it.”

The Azores Executive must submit to the Legislative Assembly, “within a maximum of 10 days of taking office,” a program of regional government that “contains the main policies and measures to be adopted or proposed in the implementation of government activities.”

The program “shall be submitted to the consideration and vote of the Legislative Assembly, which shall meet for this purpose before the 15th day after the government of the region takes office” and the debate “shall not exceed three days.”

“Prior to the conclusion of the debate, any parliamentary group may propose rejection of the regional government’s program in the form of a properly justified proposal,” the statement said.

On February 4, the PSD/CDU/NPM coalition won the regional elections with 43.56% of the votes and elected 26 of the 57 members of the Legislative Assembly, with three more needed for an absolute majority.

The PS, which elected 23 deputies, and the BU, which elected one, have already announced that they will vote against the coalition government program.

Chega, who elected five deputies, made her vote dependent on the content of the program and the composition of the executive branch, while IL and PAN, which elected one deputy each, postponed their decision until they read the document.

According to the Regulations, rejection of a government program requires an absolute majority of votes.

Regional elections in the Azores were postponed to February due to the failure of the 2024 budget, with PS, BE and IL voting against and Chega and PAN abstaining.