AZOREAN DIASPORA COUNCIL

The Azorean Diaspora Council was created in July 2019 by a unanimous decision of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
It is an advisory body to the Regional Government, chaired by the president himself. It aims to listen to Azoreans and their descendants living outside the region on matters of common interest.
It doesn’t replace the indispensable mission of the Azorean diaspora’s associative movement, much less the institutional contribution of the Houses of the Azores, but it does add another voice to this joint effort.
It is as if the Houses of the Azores represented the Region in its Communities and, conversely, the Councillors represented the Azorean Diaspora before the Regional Government.
The new body meets ordinarily every two years and is chaired by the President of the Government.
It is made up of 35 members, including 19 councilors chosen by the Azorean diaspora itself, through the constituencies of Bermuda (1), Brazil (5), Canada (5), the United States of America (5), Uruguay (1), mainland Portugal and Madeira (1), and the rest of the world (1).
These councilors were elected for four years via the Azoreans in the World digital platform.
For 17 months, from November 2019 to March 2021, all Azoreans or their descendants living outside the nine islands could register on this platform. Around 600 people registered, half of them in the last three months.
Of all those who registered, those who wished to become Azorean diaspora councilors could submit their applications from April 1 to 10, 2021, and present their proposals to the others registered in their geographical area from April 15 to May 15.
40 candidacies were submitted and validated in all 19 constituencies.
Voting among those registered in each area also took place on this platform. It began on May 20 and closed on May 24, 2021, Azores Day.
The following councilors were elected: Alexandre Moniz (Bermuda), Aristides Bogéa Bittencourt (Remaining States of Brazil), Carlos Boiteaux de Almeida (Remaining Provinces of Canada), Daniel Evangelho Gonçalves (State of Rio de Janeiro), Davide Rebelo Pimentel (Remaining States of the USA), Eduardo Bettencourt Pinto (Province of British Columbia), Eduardo Borba da Silva (Rest of the World), Gladyz Alicia Quintana Díaz (Uruguay), José Luiz Jacob (State of São Paulo), Katherine Sousa Soares (Rest of USA), Márcia Sousa da Ponte (State of Rhode Island), Maria Manuela Meneses (Mainland Portugal and Madeira), Matthew Correia (Province of Ontario), Paulo Jorge Cabral (Province of Manitoba), Régis Marques Gomes (State of Rio Grande do Sul), Rui Baptista (State of Massachusetts), Victor Faria (Province of Quebec), William Agostinho Marques (State of Santa Catarina) and Zeto Carvalho (State of California).
The installation of the Azorean Diaspora Council, with the swearing-in of the elected councilors, took place on the symbolic date of June 10, 2021, the day dedicated to the Portuguese communities.
After this first electoral process was over, the possibility of registering on the platform was reopened to continue mapping Azoreans around the world. This is with a view to the election of new councilors in 2025.
Anyone born in the Azores is of Azorean descent, has lived there for at least five years, or is a spouse or de facto partner of one of the people identified above can register on this platform to be elected.
The first plenary session of the Azorean Diaspora Council was held in March 2022 at the Conceição Palace in Ponta Delgada, and the second will take place in May 2024 at the same venue.

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José Andrade is the Regional Director for Communities in the Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores

from his book: Transatlântico – As Migrações nos Açores (2023)

We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for their support of Filamentos