The new regional government of the Azores (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM), chaired by Social Democrat José Manuel Bolheiro, took office this Monday in front of the Regional Legislative Assembly in the city of Horta, on the island of Faial.
The ceremony began at 15:00 local time (16:00 Lisbon time), and among the various guests was the representative of the Republic in the region, Pedro Catarino.
After taking office, the XIV Regional Government now has up to 10 days to present its Program to the regional parliament – a document containing the main policy directions and measures to be proposed to the legislature.
The new executive director, headed by José Manuel Boleiro (in office since the end of 2020), brings together nine regional secretariats, in addition to the presidency and vice-president. The XIII government had eight secretariats and one undersecretariat.
CDS-PP archipelago leader Arthur Lima remains vice-president, while PPM/Azores leader Paulo Estevan joins the executive for the first time as regional secretary for parliamentary affairs and communities.
Paulo Estevan, MP elected from the constituency of the island of Corvo, heads the PPM parliamentary group in the Azores Parliament.
The new Regional Secretary for Parliamentary and Communities has been a professor and regional MP since 2008.
Another new development for the executive branch is the entry of Mario Rui Pinho, who served as regional director of maritime policy, as regional secretary for maritime law and fisheries, replacing Manuel São João.
The new government of the Azores, which retains eight members of the previous government, does not have a deputy minister, but in the previous government the regional deputy president was Pedro de Faria e Castro.
Vice-President Arthur Lima (CDS-PP) no longer holds the social security and housing portfolios, but is in charge of science and technology, and is also responsible for foreign and economic cooperation, as well as communications and the digital transition (which are transferred from the president).
Regional Health Minister Monica Seydi holds the social security portfolio and is no longer responsible for sports, which is transferred to Education and Culture Minister Sofia Ribeiro.
The Regional Secretary for Youth and Employment, Maria Joao Carreiro, is also responsible for housing.
On February 4, the PSD/CDU-PP/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 Political and Administrative Statute of the Azores, the 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.
On February 22, the new 57 deputies elected in the regions took office, and Social Democrat Luis García was re-elected as chairman of the Legislative Assembly.
The complete list of elements composing the XIV Government of the Azores is as follows:
President of the Regional Government – José Manuel Bolheiro (PSD)
Vice President of the Regional Government – Arthur Lima (CDS-PP)
Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration – Duarte Freitas (PSD)
Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities – Paulo Estevan (PPM)
Regional Secretary for Education, Culture and Sports – Sofia Ribeiro (SDP)
Regional Secretary for Health and Social Care – Monica Saidy (PSD)
Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food – António Ventura (PSD)
Regional Secretary for Marine and Fisheries – Mario Rui Pinho (PSD)
Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure – Berta Cabral (PSD)
Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment – Maria Joao Carreiro (independent)
Regional Secretary for Environment and Climate – Alonso Miguel (CDS-PP)
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.