Portuguese American Journal

Elections: Vasco Cordeiro elected Regional President of the Azores – Update

Vasco Cordeiro, 39, was elected Sunday Regional President of the Azores, with an absolute majority of 49% of votes.

Cordeiro, the leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in the Azores, won 31 out of a total of 57 parliamentary seats for his party.

A total of 12 political organizations were represented in the Sunday ballot. Abstention was estimated at about 50%.

Cordeiro was challenged by Berta Cabral, the social democrat candidate (PSD) in opposition, who garnered 33% of votes, winning 20 parliamentary seats for her party. The Christian Democrats (CDS-PP) won third place with 6% of ballots, winning 3 parliamentary seats.

In a recent poll, Cordeiro was the projected winner with an absolute majority of 41,9%  of votes against Cabral with 35%.

Cabral, 59, is the former Mayor of Ponta Delgada city and the regional leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the Azores.

The social democrats (PSD) had won 18 of a total of 19 precincts in the Azores in the June 5 national elections, which elected Portugal’s Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, the national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The regional legislative elections held Sunday, elected a new legislative assembly and government leader to replace incumbent socialist Carlos César, 16 years in office as the President of the Regional Government of the Azores .

Vasco Cordeiro, the former Regional Secretary for the Economy, graduated with a Law Degree from the University of Coimbra. Elected for the Regional Legislative Assembly in 1996, he became then the leader of the regional Socialist Party parliamentary delegation. In 2003, Vasco Cordeiro was appointed Regional Secretary for the Agriculture and Fisheries and Regional Secretary for the Presidency in 2004. He became Regional Secretary for the Economy in 2008.

Berta Cabral holds a degree in Finance from the Technical University of Lisbon. She was first elected Mayor of Ponta Delgada in 2001. She was reelected Mayor in 2005 and 2009. She is the first woman mayor of Ponta Delgada, the capital city of the Azores. She is also the first woman leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the region. If elected, she would have been the first woman President of the Regional Government of the Azores.

The Azores (population 250,000) became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal.

 

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