Next Azorean regional election
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No later than 22 October 2028
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57 seats to the Legislative Assembly of the Azores[1] 29 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The next Azorean regional election will be held on or before 22 October 2028,[2] to determine the composition of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, Portugal. The election will replace all 57 members of the Azores Assembly, and the new members will then elect the President of the Autonomous Region.
President José Manuel Bolieiro, from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) leads a minority coalition government with the CDS – People's Party (CDS–PP) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM).[3] The parties in the coalition government contested the previous election in an electoral coalition, but will contest this election in separate lists.[4]
Leadership changes and challenges
Following the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition win in the 2024 regional election, in the October 2025 local elections, the PSD, CDS–PP and PPM lists, alone or in coalition, won a combined 39.5% of the votes and 10 councils (7 PSD; 1 PSD/CDS; 1 PSD/CDS/PPM; 1 CDS), holding the region's capital, Ponta Delgada, and also Horta.[5] Despite winning the popular vote by the narrowest of margins, just 0.1% ahead of the PSD-led coalition, the PS won 8 councils, losing one compared to 2021.[6] Independent movements held on to one council, while Chega made little progress.[7]
Socialist Party
A few weeks after the February 2024 election, Vasco Cordeiro announced his intention to not run for another term as party leader.[8] A leadership ballot was called for 28 and 29 June 2024.[9] Only one candidate was on the ballot, Francisco César, son of former President of the Regional Government Carlos César.[10] As expected, Francisco César was easily elected with 93 percent of the votes:
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francisco César | 93.3 | ||
| Blank/Invalid ballots | 6.7 | ||
| Turnout | |||
| Source: Expresso | |||
Liberal Initiative
The Liberal Initiative held a leadership ballot on 1 and 2 November 2024.[11] Nuno Barata, IL-Azores regional leader and regional parliament member decided not to run for another term as regional leader. Hugo Almeida was the sole candidate on the ballot.[11] On 2 November 2024, Hugo Almeida was elected with 82 percent of the delegates votes:[12]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo Almeida | 18 | 81.8 | |
| Abstentions | 4 | 18.2 | |
| Turnout | 22 | ||
| Source:[12] | |||
Electoral system
The Azores regional parliament elects 57 members through a proportional system in which the 9 islands elect a number of MPs proportional to the number of registered voters. MPs are allocated by using the D'Hondt method. 5 members are also elected for a Compensation constituency. Current distribution of MPs by constituency:
| Constituency | Total MPs |
Registered voters |
|---|---|---|
| Corvo | 2 | |
| Faial | 4 | |
| Flores | 3 | |
| Graciosa | 3 | |
| Pico | 4 | |
| Santa Maria | 3 | |
| São Jorge | 3 | |
| São Miguel | 20 | |
| Terceira | 10 | |
| Compensation | 5 | |
| Total | 57 |
The next regional election is scheduled to take place between 28 September and 28 October 2028, so it must be held no later than 22 October 2028 if the legislature lasts its full 4-year term.[2]
Parties
Current composition
The table below lists parties represented in the Legislative Assembly of the Azores before the election.
| Name | Ideology | Leader | 2024 result | Status | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | Seats | ||||||
| PPD/PSD | Social Democratic Party Partido Social Democrata |
Liberal conservatism | José Manuel Bolieiro | 42.1% | 23 / 57 |
Governing coalition | |
| CDS–PP | CDS – People's Party Centro Democrático Social – Partido Popular |
Christian democracy | Artur Lima | 2 / 57 | |||
| PPM | People's Monarchist Party Partido Popular Monárquico |
Monarchism | Paulo Estêvão | 1 / 57 | |||
| PS | Socialist Party Partido Socialista |
Social democracy | Francisco César | 35.9% | 23 / 57 |
Opposition | |
| CH | CHEGA! Chega! |
National conservatism | José Pacheco | 9.2% | 5 / 57 | ||
| BE | Left Bloc Bloco de Esquerda |
Democratic socialism | António Lima | 2.5% | 1 / 57 | ||
| IL | Liberal Initiative Iniciativa Liberal |
Classical liberalism | Hugo Almeida | 2.1% | 1 / 57 | ||
| PAN | People Animals Nature Pessoas-Animais-Natureza |
Animal welfare | Pedro Neves | 1.6% | 1 / 57 | ||
Opinion polls
| Polling firm/Link | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout |  |
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 |
 |
O | Lead | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 local elections | 12 Oct 2025 | N/a | 53.9 | 39.5 (26) |
39.6 (27) |
7.9 (4) |
0.7 (0) |
1.3 (0) |
N/a | 1.0 (0) |
N/a | 10.0 (0) |
0.1 | ||||
| 2025 legislative election | 18 May 2025 | N/a | 43.8 | 36.6 (25) |
23.6 (15) |
22.9 (12) |
2.1 (1) |
3.5 (2) |
1.3 (0) |
1.2 (0) |
2.5 (1) |
6.4 (1) |
13.0 | ||||
| 2024 EP election | 9 Jun 2024 | N/a | 24.2 | 38.4 (25) |
32.3 (22) |
8.1 (4) |
3.7 (2) |
6.1 (3) |
1.3 (0) |
1.7 (0) |
2.4 (1) |
6.0 (0) |
6.1 | ||||
| 2024 legislative election | 10 Mar 2024 | N/a | 46.2 | 39.8 (26) |
29.2 (20) |
15.8 (8) |
3.4 (1) |
2.7 (1) |
1.6 (0) |
1.1 (0) |
1.7 (1) |
4.8 (0) |
10.6 | ||||
| 2024 regional election | 4 Feb 2024 | N/a | 50.3 | 42.1 26 |
35.9 23 |
9.2 5 |
2.5 1 |
2.1 1 |
1.6 1 |
1.6 0 |
0.6 0 |
3.1 0 |
6.2 | ||||
