The session, which marks the start of the new legislature, after the early regional elections on February 4, which the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition won but without an absolute majority, will allow the majority of previous rulers to be returned to office, without major changes in the executive structure.
The President of the appointed Government announced, on Friday 1 March, after handing over the list of names to the representative of the Republic for the Azores, Pedro Catarino, the full composition of the new executive, which presents as its main novelty of the departure of Pedro Faria e Castro from Regional sub-secretariat of the Presidency and the entry of Paulo Estêvão, leader of the PPM in the Azores, who will occupy the position of secretary of Parliamentary Affairs and Communities.
Another change in the new executive list is the entry of Mário Rui Pinho, until now regional director of Maritime Policies, to replace Manuel São João, at the Regional Secretariat for Sea and Fisheries.
The remaining government officials maintain the same portfolios: José Manuel Bolieiro in the Presidency of the Government; Artur Lima (leader of the CDS-PP) in Vice-Presidency; Duarte Freitas at the Regional Secretariat for Finance, Planning and Public Administration; Sofia Ribeiro at the Regional Secretariat for Education, Culture and Sports; Mónica Seidi at the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security; António Ventura at the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food; Berta Cabral at the Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure; Maria João Carreiro at the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment; and Alonso Miguel at the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action.
After taking office, the PSD/CDS-PP and PPM coalition executive has ten days to deliver to the Regional Assembly, the Government Programme, the document that contains the main political guidelines and the measures.
According to the Political-Administrative Statute of the Azores, the debate on the Government's programme must take place by the 15th day after the executive takes office and the discussion around the document “cannot exceed three days”.
Until the end of the debate, any parliamentary group can propose the rejection of the executive's program, and the approval of this rejection requires an absolute majority and “implies the resignation of the Government”.
The PS, the largest opposition party, has already announced that it will vote against the Government Programme, as has the sole deputy of BE, while the parliamentary representations of IL and PAN will only comment after seeing the document.
Chega, the third most voted political force in the Azores, with five deputies, makes its voting direction dependent on a possible understanding with the PSD, the largest party in the coalition.
José Manuel Bolieiro said, on the night of the elections, that he would govern with a “relative majority”, without forming government coalitions with any other political force, despite the coalition having elected only 26 of the 57 regional deputies, three less than the 29 needed to obtain an absolute majority.
The Socialist Party elected 23 deputies, Chega five and BE, IL and PAN one each.
The February 4th elections took place after the defeat, in November, of the Region's Plan and Budget proposals for this year, due to the abstention of Chega and PAN and the votes against by PS, IL and BE, a situation that led the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, to dissolve parliament and call early elections.