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Regional Legislature I Regional Legislature 1976 - 1980 II Regional Legislature 1980 - 1984 III Regional Legislature 1984 - 1988 IV Regional Legislature 1988 - 1992 V Regional Legislature 1992 - 1995 VI Regional Legislature 1995 - 1996 VII Regional Legislature 1996 - 2000 VIII Regional Legislature 2000 - 2004 IX Regional Legislature 2004 - 2008 X Regional Legislature 2008 -

1st Regional Legislature (21 July 1976 to 20 October 1980), was the first session of the Regional Assembly

Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores

The Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores is the regional assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in Portugal. Its seat is in Horta, Ilha do Faial....

 and Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores

Azores

The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

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The constitution of the 1st Regional Legislature was written on June 27, 1976. It was only possible since the new Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, approved on April 2, 1976, explicitly allowed for the creation of the Autonomous Region of the Azores

Political status of the Autonomous Region of the Azores

The political status of the Autonomous Region of the Azores is the standard paralegal constitutional framework for the autonomy of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores...

, and those governmental institutions necessary to operate the bureaucracy. One of these institutions was the Regional Assembly, which, at the time, was responsible for establishing the government of the Autonomous Region, and included: President Álvaro Monjardino (PSD), Vice-President Alebrto Madruga da Costa (PSD), Vice-President Angelino de Almeida Páscoa (PS), and secretaries João Vasco Paica (PSD) and Suzete Oliveira (PS). It was not until September 4, 1976, after the approval of the government, in the presence of the President of the Republic, General Ramalho Eanes, that the first Assembly began its functions.

History

Election Results
21 July 1976

style="float: right;" class="wikitable sortable" border="1">
Island	CDS	PS Socialist Party (Portugal) The Socialist Party , abbreviated to PS, is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel, by militants from Portuguese Socialist Action ....	PSD Social Democratic Party (Portugal) The Social Democratic Party , is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Portugal. It is commonly known by its initials, PSD; on ballot papers, its initials appear as PPD/PSD, with the first three letters coming from the party's original name, Democratic People's Party...
Santa Maria Santa Maria Island Santa Maria , Portuguese for Saint Mary, is an island located in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago and the southernmost island in the Azores...	0	1	2
São Miguel São Miguel Island São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...	1	5	7
Terceira Terceira Island Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...	0	3	5
Graciosa	0	1	2
São Jorge	1	0	2
Pico Pico Island Pico Island , is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores noted for its eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...	0	1	3
Faial Faial Island Faial Island , also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central Group of the Azores....	0	1	3
Corvo Corvo Island Corvo Island , literally the Island of the Crow, is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores archipelago and the northernmost in Macaronesia, with a population of approximately 468 inhabitants constituting the smallest single municipality in Azores and in Portugal.-History:A small...	0	1	1
Flores	0	1	1

"It is not without reason, that the first session of the Regional Assembly occurs in this city of Horta...it is good and just, at this crossroads of our history that we reunite here, in a place of peace and open to the world, in this place of refuge and tolerance, where many roads even today cordially cross...where was born the first President of the Portuguese Republic

Manuel de Arriaga

Manuel José de Arriaga Brum da Silveira e Peyrelongue was a Portuguese lawyer, the first Attorney-General and the first elected President of the First Portuguese Republic, following the abdication of King Manuel II of Portugal and a Republican Provisional Government headed by Teófilo Braga Manuel...

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On 21 July 1976, Álvaro Monjardino was elected by plenum of the Regional Assembly, the first President of the Azorean Parliament. The preliminary session of the Assembly, which took two days to deliberate, included 43 regional deputies: 27 representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD)

Social Democratic Party (Portugal)

The Social Democratic Party , is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Portugal. It is commonly known by its initials, PSD; on ballot papers, its initials appear as PPD/PSD, with the first three letters coming from the party's original name, Democratic People's Party...

, 14 from the Socialist Party (PS)

Socialist Party (Portugal)

The Socialist Party , abbreviated to PS, is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel, by militants from Portuguese Socialist Action ....

 and 2 members of the Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party (CDS–PP). The representatives had gathered at the Amor da Pátria building, as no Regional Assembly had yet been constructed.

Representatives of the Assembly were duly elected from 43 electoral districts, with the majority of the seats occupied by members of the Portuguese Social Democrats (PSD). The Social Democrats (PSD), under the leadership of Mota Amaral, became the first Government of the Azores in the 1st Regional Assembly. On the day of the first session, General Altino Pinto de Magalhães, then the President of the Junta Regional of the Azores (effectively the Portuguese governor) and Frank Carlucci

Frank Carlucci

Frank Charles Carlucci III is a former official in the United States Government, associated with the Republican Party. The most prominent office held by Carlucci was as Secretary of Defense from 1987 until 1989 in the Reagan Administration.-Early life and career:Carlucci was born in Scranton,...

, the United States Ambassador in Portugal (the two had administrated the Azores since the summer of 1975 in order to bring stability and provide security), surrendered control of the region's administration to the PSD.

Regional Government

Having established a plurality of the seats cast in the regional elections, the Partido Social Democrata

Social Democratic Party (Portugal)

The Social Democratic Party , is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Portugal. It is commonly known by its initials, PSD; on ballot papers, its initials appear as PPD/PSD, with the first three letters coming from the party's original name, Democratic People's Party...

was obligated to form the first regional government. Over time, the Regional Presidency would be established and governed from Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...

, on the island of São Miguel

São Miguel Island

São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...

: the residency of President would be at the Palace of Santanna, and main administrative offices would be located in the center of São José

São José (Ponta Delgada)

São José is a civil parish in the municipality and city of Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It is one of the constituent parts of the city of Ponta Delgada, including many historical, commercial and residential buildings extending from the...

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The executive, many of which took office on 8 September 1976 (until 20 October 1980), were appointed by decree of the Ministry of the Republic on September 1, 1976, as no formal process had yet been established, and consisted of:

• Presidente (President of the Regional Government):

João Bosco Soares da Mota Amaral;

• Secretário Regional das Finanças (Regional Secretary for Finances):

Raúl Gomes dos Santos;

• Secretário Regional da Administração Pública (Regional Secretary for the Public Administration):

Dr. José Mendes Melo Alves;

• Secretário Regional da Educação e Cultura (Regional Secretary for Education and Culture):

Dr. José Guilherme Reis Leite;

• Secretário Regional do Trabalho (Regional Secretary for Work):

António Gentil Lagarto;

• Secretário Regional dos Assuntos Sociais (Regional Secretary for Social Issues):

Dr. Rui Manuel Miranda de Mesquita, appointed 8 September 1976, but replaced by;

Dr. Luís Artur de Figueiredo Falcão de Bettencourt, appointed 2 January 1979, but replaced by;

Maria de Fátima da Silva Oliveira, appointed 17 September 1979;

• Secretário Regional da Agricultura e Pescas (Regional Secretary of Agriculture and Fishing):

Eng. Germano da Silva Domingos, appointed 8 September 1976, but replaced by;

Eng. Téc. Agrário, Ezequiel de Melo Moreira da Silva, appointed 2 January 1979;

• Secretário Regional do Comércio e Indústria (Regional Secretary for Commerce and Industry):

Eng. António Manuel de Medeiros Ferreira, appointed 8 September 1976, but replaced by;

Américo Natalino de Pereira de Viveiros, appointed 1 October 1977;

• Secretário Regional dos Transportes e Turismo (Regional Secretary for Transport and Tourism):

José Pacheco de Almeida, appointed 8 September 1976, but replaced by;

Eng. Manuel António Meireles Martins Mota, appointed 2 January 1979, but replaced by;

Alberto Romão Madruga da Costa, appointed 17 September 1979;

• Secretário Regional do Equipamento Social (Regional Secretary for Social Equipment):

Eng. João Bernardo Pacheco Rodrigues

• Subsecretário Regional Adjunto da Presidência (Under-Secretary and Regional Adjunct to the Presidency):

João Vasco da Luz Botelho de Paiva

• Secretário Regional Adjunto da Presidência (Regional Secretary Adjunct to the Presidency):

Eng. José Gabriel Mendonça Correia da Cunha