ON THE WAY TO THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF AUTONOMY (3)

As we saw in the comparison of the electoral balance of the 50 years of political autonomy of the Azores and Madeira, which began in the previous edition, the PPD/PSD won the first regional legislative elections held in 1976 in the two autonomous regions of the Portuguese Republic.

And so it was in the following years.

In the Azores, Mota Amaral led the first five governments, until 1995. In Madeira, Ornelas Camacho presided over the government only during the first half of the first legislative term, being replaced in 1978 by Alberto João Jardim.

In Madeira, João Jardim presided over 10 consecutive governments until 2015, succeeded by Miguel Albuquerque as president of the last five governments. In the Azores, Alberto Romão Madruga da Costa presided over the sixth government from 1995 to 1996; Carlos César presided over four governments from 1996 to 2012; Vasco Cordeiro presided over two governments, from 2012 to 2020; and José Manuel Bolieiro presides over the last two governments, sworn in in 2020 and 2024.

The Azores now have 14 governments, six from the PSD, six from the PS, and two from the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition. Madeira has had 16 governments, 14 of which were PSD and two of which were PSD/CDS coalitions.

In these 49 years of political autonomy, from 1976 to 2025, the Azores have elected 673 deputies in 13 elections to the legislative assembly, and Madeira has elected 762 deputies in 15 regional elections.

In the Azores, in five decades, the PS elected 306 deputies, the PSD 259, the CDS 27, the CDU nine, the Left Bloc eight, Chega seven, the PPM five, the Liberal Initiative two, and the PAN two, for a total of nine parties with parliamentary representation.

In addition, the ADA coalition elected one deputy in 1992, the PSD/CDS coalition elected 21 deputies in 2004, and the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition elected 26 deputies in 2024.

In Madeira, the PSD has already elected 455 deputies, the PS 145, the CDS 39, the JPP 33, the CDU 16, the UDP 14, Chega 11, the Left Bloc five, the PAN three, the PND three, the PTP three, the Liberal Initiative three, the MPT two, and the PSN one, for a total of 14 parties with parliamentary representation.

In addition, the Mudança Coalition (with PS, PTP, PAN, and MPT) elected six deputies in 2015, and the Somos Madeira Coalition (with PSD and CDS) elected 33 deputies in 2023.

The largest parliamentary group in Madeira was in 2004 with 44 PSD deputies, and the largest in the Azores was also in 2004 with 31 PS deputies.

In the 13 legislative elections in the Azores, the parliament was led by nine presidents, five from the PSD and four from the PS, successively Álvaro Monjardino, Alberto Romão Madruga da Costa, José Reis Leite, Humberto Melo, Dionísio Sousa, Fernando Meneses, Francisco Coelho, Ana Luís, and Luís Garcia.

In the first 14 legislatures of Madeira, the parliament was led by five presidents, four from the PSD and one from the CDS, respectively, Emanuel Rodrigues, Nélio Mendonça, Miguel Mendonça, José Lino Tranquada Gomes, and José Manuel Rodrigues.

In the first regional elections in 1976, the Azores had around 162,000 registered voters and 67% voted. Madeira had around 143,000 registered voters and 74% voted.

In its last elections, on February 4, 2024, the Azores had around 229,000 registered voters, with a turnout of 50%. In its last elections, on March 23, 2025, Madeira had around 255,000 registered voters, with a turnout of 56%.

Currently, the Azores Parliament has 57 deputies elected by nine island constituencies and one regional compensation constituency, and the Madeira Parliament has 47 deputies elected by a single constituency.

In almost 50 years of autonomous rule, these two sister regions may have different politicians and different results, but they have the same paths and a common goal: to live in democracy and defend autonomy.

After all, the Azores and Madeira have developed more in five decades of political autonomy than in five centuries of remote control.

José Andrade is the Regional Director of Communities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores

Excerpt from the conference “Azores (and Madeira): 50 years of Political Autonomy” presented on March 29, 2025, in Montreal, Canada.