Elections in a Europe with greater weight
Rafael Cota ,
Journalist who lives in Terceira Island, Azores
Artigo publicado numa revista informativa da Universidade de Fresno na Califórnia, destinada a alunos descendentes de portugueses que já não falam português. A Revista é dirigida pelo professor Diniz Borges, natural da Terceira-
Elections for the European Union are on Sunday, June 9th. The Azores, one of the most outer regions of the European Union, will be part of this election. We are happy to feature this excellent article by a journalist from the Azores, who has been analyzing elections in the Azores for many decades.
Another election is approaching, the third this year in the case of the Azores, to choose representatives for the European Parliament.
As usual, the results of the last elections are published to remember how people voted five years ago in the country and in the Azores. In that time, a lot has changed in the Portuguese political spectrum and in the region, and these changes have already been felt in the elections for the Regional Legislative Assembly and the Assembly of the Republic, namely with the entry of Chega onto the political scene, when in 2019 he didn’t even appear on the lists.
Changes are also expected in next Sunday’s elections. However, there is no direct relationship between the different electoral acts since citizens have learned to vote according to the object of each election.
Abstention is expected to remain high as this election arouses the slightest interest. A comparison of abstentions shows that the proximity of the election influences the number of voters who go to the polls. In the last EP elections, only 18% of Azoreans went to vote, which was not the case in other close elections.
However, as time passes, Europe is getting closer, more names are known, their voices are heard at European and international levels, and their decisions are becoming increasingly relevant in different countries.
Anyone who watches the news regularly can already identify several names, and it feels that leaders with some weight are beginning to emerge in Europe.
In Portugal, 17 political forces are running.
17 parties and coalitions are running in the European Parliament elections, the same number as in 2019. According to the lists posted at the Constitutional Court (TC), the following are running: Aliança Democrática (a coalition made up of PSD, CDS and PPM), PS, Chega, Iniciativa Liberal, Bloco de Esquerda, CDU (PCP/PEV coalition), Livre, PAN, ADN, MAS, Ergue-te, Nova Direita, Volt Portugal, RIR, Nós Cidadãos, MPT and PTP. Four-party forces were not accepted.
The AD list is headed by former journalist and television commentator Sebastião Bugalho, followed by PSD vice-president Paulo Cunha. The PS list is led by former Health Minister Marta Temido and has former Socialist parliamentary leader Francisco Assis as number two.
Chega is betting on diplomat Tangier Correia as number one, while Iniciativa Liberal has chosen its former president João Cotrim Figueiredo as its list head. The Left Bloc has also chosen a former leader to head its candidacy for the European elections, presenting Catarina Martins.
The CDU (a coalition of the PCP and the PEV) has chosen former parliamentary leader João Oliveira as its candidate. Livre has chosen researcher Francisco Paupério, who will run in the elections for the first time. The PAN’s number one candidate for the European elections is party leader Pedro Fidalgo Marques.
The PS won the elections with 33.38%, electing nine MEPs. The PSD came second with six seats, followed by the BE and CDU with two MEPs, and the CDS and PAN elected one representative.
Candidates nominated by the Azores
The national lists include André Rodrigues, nominated by PS-Azores, who is in 5th place, and Paulo Nascimento Cabral, nominated by PSD-Azores, who is in 7th place.
The Liberal Initiative, BE, CDU, Chega, and PAN also have candidates nominated by the Azores on their lists.
As usual, this election is held with the same list for the whole territory, and the elected members represent the entire country. However, once elected, they fall into the different groups in the European Parliament.
Since the beginning, the Region has been able to elect MPs nominated explicitly by the Azores. In the last elections, held on May 26, 2019, André Bradford was elected, although he only served for about two months due to his death on July 18. He was replaced by Isabel Carvalhais.
The presence of deputies nominated by the region has proved vital because they promote the Azores’ name by discussing some issues and collaborating with other areas facing the same problems.
In fact, Europe’s decisions have increasing weight in different countries, and its guidelines are usually challenging to contradict, given the framework in which they are taken. In short, a rising European population is growing, and awareness of this phenomenon may affect voter turnout.
Results since 2004 in the Azores for the EU elections.
The abstention rate in the Azores for the EU elections since 1987
Deputies elected from the Azores since 1987.
NOVIDADES thanks journalist Rafael Cota for his excellent work.
Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.
