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57 seats to theLegislative Assembly of Azores[2] 29 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 47.9% 1.2pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2012 Azorean regional election (Portuguese:Eleições regionais dos Açores de 2012) was an election held on 14 October 2012 for the legislative assembly and government of thePortugueseautonomous region of theAzores.[1][4] in which theSocialist Party nominee, under the leadership ofVasco Cordeiro won an absolute majority with 49 percent of the vote, in comparison to their direct rivals, the Social Democratic Party (led byBerta Cabral), who achieved only 33 percent of the vote.Voter turnout was low (although higher than in 2008) with just under 47.9 percent of the electorate casting their ballot on election day.
The election was called by thePresident of the Republic,Aníbal Cavaco Silva after consulting with all the parties represented in the Azorean Legislative Assembly.[1][4][5] Each of the parties had proposed different dates for these elections, with the Communists and Bloc representatives preferring 21 October 2012, while theSocial Democrats favouring 7 or 14 October.[5] The PPM preferred 30 September, the earliest date that these elections could be undertaken, defending that"the faster the better", although also proposing 7 October, as an alternative.[5]
The elections marked the end of a 16 years of consecutiveSocialist mandates led by outgoing regional PresidentCarlos Cesar, who had announced his intention not to continue to lead the Socialist Party (PS) on 8 October 2011.[5] In his place, the PS nominatedVasco Cordeiro to represent their party during several months of pre-campaigning against their rivals the Social Democrats (PSD), under the stewardship of then incumbent mayor of Ponta Delgada,Berta Cabral.[5][6] The election occurred as a culmination of a years round of campaigning that started with the nomination of Vasco Cordeiro to replace the outgoing Carlos Cesar as leader of the party.[7]
In 2011, Vasco Cordeiro, who held the position ofSecretário Regional da Economia (Regional Secretary for the Economy) renounced his position in the government to dedicate himself to the elections, and was replaced by Luisa Schanderl in that post. Meanwhile, Berta Cabral continued to function as the mayor (Portuguese:Presidente) of Ponta Delgada until the end of July 2012, when she renounced her position in favour of her Vice-Presidente.
All 57 deputies of the regional assembly, distributed among the nine islands of the archipelago, were up for renewal.[2] On 23 August 2012, Berta Cabral indicated her parties inclination not to run against thePeople's Monarchist Party (PPM) on the island of Corvo, where two seats were up for grab.[8] Citing her party's intention to defeat the Socialists using a "winning strategy", the PSD leader advised that the PSD would not run candidates against PPM leader Paulo Estevão.[8] For his part, Estevão noted that this decision did not imply his party's unconditional support of any PSD government.[9]
During the campaign, Cybermap Lda., received national and regional publicity when its managing director revealed their involvement in a project to publicize realtime election results over the internet to mobile devices, including smartphones and tablet readers.[10][11] This was the first time in Portugal that election content would be developed and publicized in realtime during any election, a project that also included information on local candidates, geographic distribution and historical results.[11]
On 9 October 2012, the regional public broadcaster,RTP Açores, determined that a regional debate that would bring together leaders of the 12 parties running in the elections was unfeasible.[12] Citing the lack of agreement between party representatives, the public broadcaster elaborated that the 90-minute two-debate model proposed (which would have two debates, one for parties with assembly representation and another with the remainder of the candidates) resulted in a formal complaint to theCommissão Nacional de Eleições (National Commission for Elections) by representatives from the PDA and MRPP.[12] The option to have all parties in the same debate was unlikely also, since it was contrary to"fundamental basics of journalism or television communication models" and impractical.[12]
After the defeat of the PSD in the 2008 regional election, then party leaderCarlos Costa Neves resigned and a leadership ballot was called for 17 December 2008. Only one candidate was on the ballot: Incumbent mayor ofPonta Delgada,Berta Cabral. Cabral was easily elected leader and became the first woman to lead a regional party in the Azores:[13]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berta Cabral | 2,410 | 98.5 | |
| Blank/Invalid ballots | 36 | 1.5 | |
| Turnout | 2,446 | – | |
| Source:[14] | |||
During the 2008 regional election campaign,Carlos César announced that if he was reelected, this would be his last term as President of the Regional Government.[15] In October 2011, the party's regional committee, by unanimous vote, nominatedVasco Cordeiro as the party's lead candidate for the 2012 regional election:[16]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vasco Cordeiro | Voice vote | ||
| Turnout | 100.0 | ||
| Source: | |||
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 thed'Hondt method. 5 members are also elected for a Compensation constituency.
| Constituency | Total MPs | Registered voters[17] |
|---|---|---|
| Corvo | 2 | 348 |
| Faial | 4 | 13,166 |
| Flores | 3 | 3,233 |
| Graciosa | 3 | 4,479 |
| Pico | 4 | 13,311 |
| Santa Maria | 3 | 5,208 |
| São Jorge | 4 | 8,786 |
| São Miguel | 19 | 124,387 |
| Terceira | 10 | 52,293 |
| Compensation | 5 | |
| Total | 57 | 225,211 |
The influence of the European financial crisis, and continued latency in the Portuguese economy did not escape the election campaign. The unemployment rate in the Azores had grown to 15.6 percent, which was above the national rate (15.0 percent), and 5.9 percent greater than the same time in 2011.[18] It was predicted that the unemployment rate would reach 16% by 2013.[18] The region is heavily dependent on the public sector-driven economy, and the Government has not reduced, but actually hired more people to the Regional Secretaries (through public competition or through unemployment support programs).[19] These activities have actually hidden the real increase in the unemployment rate, while measures to curtail the rise in public spending and implement austerity measures to reduce the debit did not occur.[19]
An undercurrent of these elections was the state of regional public finances, with the Azorean public debit exceeding 2300 million Euros as of 31 December 2011, in a report issued by the nationalInspeção Geral de Finanças (General Inspection of Finances).[20][21] The report indicated that this figure resulted from debits of the regional administration (427 million Euros), regional public companies (1500 million Euros) and local authorities (327 million Euros).[20] In addition to a warning about the regions "actual risk of budgetary slippage", the report also slighted future annual expenditures which would put in risk the state of the regions finances.[20] These were, specifically, two public-private partnerships worth 1600 million Euros: the SCUT roadway concession, worth 1300 million Euros annually, and 330 million Euros for the Hospital da Terceira.[20] The IGF concluded that "no risk requiring significant support" existed, but that unplanned costs (such as the Regional Health Plan) would require the region to "contain, freeze or reduce" incentives provided in some regional laws, in order to avoid the increase in public spending.[20]
The issue of the region's public finances also influenced continued talk of reinforcing the archipelago's autonomy following a memorandum of understanding signed between the Portuguese and (proposed by) the Azorean Regional Governments, that provided for a 10-year 135 million Euro loan. Among the requirements of this understanding, the loan was dependent on: the guarantee that the Azores followed the objectives of thePrograma de Ajustamento Econónomico e Financeiro (Program for Economic and Financial Adjustment); stabilized public finances; refrain from aggravating public finances (directly or indirectly) through the remuneration of public service employees, the reduction of public servants inline with the objectives of the PAEF; a promise not to create new public-private partnerships that resulted in new financial burdens; an analysis of existing public-partnerships (within three months from the memorandum's signing) as a precondition for funding; regular monthly bulletins on the state of Regional finances, remitted to theDireção-Geral do Orçamento (Directorate-General for the Budget); full cooperation with theInspecção-Geral de Finanças (General Inspection for Finances); among other details.[22] Many of the parties protested that agreement was equivalent to transferring the control of the Azores to the Ministry of Finances, requesting a debate on the issue in the Regional Assembly.[23][24] Berta Cabral, leader of the PSD Açores, although aligned with the national government, cited her willingness to alter the terms of the memorandum if her party was elected.[25][26] This stance was criticized by both the CDS-PP and PS leaders the next day, who cited the legality of the document and the desperation on the part of the PSD (stating that the understanding did not demand anything more than what was already required by Regional Finance Laws), respectively.[27][28] Nonetheless, the PS leader used his campaign to criticize the national government for policies that "brought more austerity to the Azores", citing measures by Vitor Gaspar (Minister of Finances) following the fifth intervention by theTroika (a tripartite committee led by the European Commission with the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund) delegation.[29]
A total of 12 political parties resented lists of candidates for the regional elections in the Azores, where 225,211 electors could elect 57 deputies to the Legislative Assembly.[30] Of these parties, some of the more prominent:
Data released by the Constitutional Courts indicated that the PS was the party with the largest budget, with almost 996,000 Euros in its war-chest, followed by the PSD, with 651,000 Euros, while the PPM was the group with the smallest budget, with only 3,000 Euros.[30] It was anticipated that the PS would spend 261,000 Euros in its campaign; followed by the CDU, with 65,000 Euros; and the CDS-PP, with 61,000 Euros, while the PPM little more than 1,450 Euros.[30] ThePlatforma de Cidadania (the alliance between the PPM and PND), with a global budget of 48,000 Euros, dedicated the majority of their cash reserves to public relation firms and market studies (where they spent 26,000 Euros).[30] For the PSD, which received 350,633 Euros of state subsidies, the highest expenditure item, 180,000 Euros, was devoted to purchase giveaways and other offers.[30] For its part the PDA, the only national party with their headquarters in the Azores, expected to spend 8,000 Euros, with 5,000 Euros for posters and pamphlets in order to elect their first parliamentary seat.[30]
On 11 September 2012, three of the smaller parties in the regional elections signed a protocol to create a parliamentary coalition around thePlataforma de Cidadnia, in order to galvanize public outrage and disinterest in the mainline candidates.[38] ThePlataforma, which included the institutional support of the PPM and PND, would have political autonomy in any legislature it was a part, following strictly the electoral program established by its constituents (who were petitioned to register online).[38]
Opinion polling for parliamentary represented parties is as such:
| Polling firm/Link | Fieldwork date | Sample size |  |  |  |  |  | O | Lead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 regional elections | 14 Oct 2016 | — | 49.0 31 | 33.0 20 | 5.6 3 | 2.3 1 | 1.9 1 | 8.2 1 | 16.0 | |
| UCP-CESOP | 14 Oct 2012 | — | 48–52 28/33 | 29–33 17/21 | 6–9 3/5 | 2–4 1/2 | 2–4 1/2 | 1–2 1 | 19 | |
| Eurosondagem | 25 Sep–2 Oct 2012 | 2,518 | 41.9 25/28 | 35.0 20/23 | 9.7 5/6 | 3.3 1/2 | 3.7 1/2 | 6.4 1 | 6.9 | |
| Eurosondagem[a] | 20–22 Jun 2010 | 710 | 54.8 | 28.6 | 5.8 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 26.2 | |
| 2008 regional elections | 19 Oct 2008 | — | 49.9 30 | 30.3 18 | 8.7 5 | 3.3 2 | 3.1 1 | 4.8 1 | 19.6 | |
The Socialist Party won these elections, taking eight of the nine islands of the archipelago (except on the island of Graciosa), electing 31 of the 57 regional deputies.[47] The victory marks the fifth consecutive PS government, this time led by new leader Vasco Cordeiro, which was marked specifically by the effects of the austerity program imposed by the Troika and national government.[48] The new president-elect avoided any reference to the economic crisis in Portugal, and focusing more on the"sweet victory" over his competitors.[48]
In her concession speech on the night of the PS victory, Berta Cabral assumed personal responsibility for her party's loss, and promised to maintain her position in the assembly, while failing to clarify her intentions to vacate the leadership of the PSD Açores.[48] In the last four regional elections, the regional leaders of the PSD have been removed by its membership, following their defeats in the regional elections.[48] Speaking following the victory of the PS, Prime MinisterPedro Passos Coelho recognized that the national context, and in particular the austerity measures had interfered in the results (even as he praised the work by the regional deputies and parties).[48] During the campaign Artur Lima counseled the national leader, Paulo Portas, to abandon the coalition with the PSD, while Berta Cabral announced that she would order a vote against the state budget by PSD deputies from the Azores, if the budget confirmed an increase in the IRS or IMI.[48] Passos Coelho was the only national leader of the major parties who did not participate in the campaign, while Paulo Portas limited his interventions to a few hours in Terceira, during a CDS commission-dinner, where he did not talk of national politics and evaded journalists questions.[48]
Artur Lima, following the results, indicated his belief that"we expected, [from] the work done by our MPs in Parliament, an increase that was not the case", citing his regret that"the smaller parties such as the CDS do not have the parish nor town councils...nor the equipment on the ground, and this is reflected [in the results]", adding that"the party did not feel, in the streets, it would have this result."[49] CDS-PP national leader Paulo Portas commenting on the regional results took some responsibility for his regional party, citing the effects of the national PSD-CDS government's austerity measures as a contributing factor in the poor performance of the CDS Açores in the elections.[50]
This was reaffirmed by the national Left Bloc deputy Luís Fazenda who indicated that the loss of the parties aligned with the national government, served to indicate the unpopularity of the national government's policies on austerity, reiterating that "it should make the Prime Minister rethink [his policies] because this is the first today of several defeats that [he] surely will face...".[48][51] Following her party's loss of one of their two seats, Zuraida Soares indicated that election resulted in a more bi-polarized concentration in the two mainline parties (PS and PSD), and that her party would continue to "criticise, combat and vote on issues proposal-by-proposal", even as she hoped that the PS government would continue to defend Azorean autonomy and minimize the effects of theTroika.[52]
On the other hand, the PCTP/MRPP candidate for São Miguel Pedro Pacheco suggested that the Azorean voters "lost the opportunity to have a voice" and that vote reflected "opportunism", citing the "failure by the voter to see what is happening in the country".[53]
Other parties, such as the PDA and Plataforma de Cidadania, were more congratulatory of their election successes. ThePartido do Atlantico leader Rui Matos was buoyed by the parties' increase in the popular vote; Matos, who only assumed the leadership of the party within the year, guaranteed that his party would "...continue its work and would take a gamble on the year of local elections".[54] ThePlataforma de Cidadania which also did not elect a deputy, cited the David-and-Goliath situation of a new part, but suggested that "...the seed had been sowed..." for future elections.[55] The PTP, which limited its campaigns to Terceira and São Miguel, saw its campaign as a "launching pad for future challenges", even if they did not win a seat in the legislature.[56]
The11th Regional Legislature was invested on 31 October 2012.
 | |||||||||
| Parties | Votes | % | ±ppswing | MPs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2012 | ± | % | ± | |||||
| Socialist | 52,827 | 49.02 |  0.9 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 54.39 | 1.8 | |
| Social Democratic | 35,572 | 33.01 | 2.7 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 35.09 | 3.5 | |
| People's | 6,110 | 5.67 | 3.1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5.26 | 3.5 | |
| Left Bloc | 2,428 | 2.25 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.75 | 1.7 | |
| Democratic Unity Coalition[A] | 2,045 | 1.90 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 |  0 | 1.75 | 0.0 | |
| Citizenship Platform[B] | 1,066 | 0.99 | — | — | 0 | — | 0.00 | — | |
| Earth | 833 | 0.77 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | |
| Party for Animals and Nature | 680 | 0.63 | — | — | 0 | — | 0.00 | — | |
| Democratic Party of the Atlantic | 532 | 0.49 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | |
| Labour | 471 | 0.44 | — | — | 0 | — | 0.00 | — | |
| Portuguese Workers' Communist | 343 | 0.32 | — | — | 0 | — | 0.00 | — | |
| People's Monarchist | 86 | 0.08 | 0.4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.75 | 0.0 | |
| Total valid | 102,993 | 95.58 | 1.7 | 57 | 57 | 0 | 100.00 | 0.0 | |
| Blank ballots | 3,444 | 3.20 | 1.3 | ||||||
| Invalid ballots | 1,319 | 1.22 | 0.3 | ||||||
| Total | 107,756 | 100.00 | |||||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 225,127 | 47.86 | 1.2 | ||||||
| APortuguese Communist Party (1 MPs) and"The Greens" (0 MPs) ran in coalition. BPeople's Monarchist Party (0 MPs) andNew Democracy (0 MPs) ran in coalition. | |||||||||
| Source:Comissão Nacional de Eleições | |||||||||
| PS | 49.02% | |||
| PSD | 33.01% | |||
| CDS-PP | 5.67% | |||
| BE | 2.25% | |||
| CDU | 1.90% | |||
| PC | 0.99% | |||
| MPT | 0.77% | |||
| PAN | 0.63% | |||
| Others | 1.33% | |||
| Blank/Invalid | 4.42% | |||
| PS | 54.39% | |||
| PSD | 35.09% | |||
| CDS-PP | 5.26% | |||
| BE | 1.75% | |||
| CDU | 1.75% | |||
| PPM | 1.75% | |||
| Constituency | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | Total S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS | PSD | CDS-PP | BE | CDU | PPM | ||||||||
| Corvo | 41.0 | 1 | 19.4 | - | 1.5 | - | 1.5 | - | 31.5 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Faial | 43.4 | 2 | 37.4 | 2 | 2.9 | - | 2.2 | - | 5.2 | - | 4 | ||
| Flores | 49.2 | 2 | 29.9 | 1 | 13.6 | - | 0.9 | - | 2.9 | - | 3 | ||
| Graciosa | 42.8 | 1 | 50.7 | 2 | 1.6 | - | 0.6 | - | 0.8 | - | 3 | ||
| Pico | 45.7 | 2 | 37.8 | 2 | 8.2 | - | 1.1 | - | 1.4 | - | 4 | ||
| Santa Maria | 55.2 | 2 | 29.6 | 1 | 2.3 | - | 1.3 | - | 7.0 | - | 3 | ||
| São Jorge | 41.2 | 2 | 32.3 | 1 | 19.5 | 1 | 1.0 | - | 1.5 | - | 4 | ||
| São Miguel | 51.4 | 12 | 32.8 | 7 | 2.1 | - | 2.6 | - | 1.6 | - | 19 | ||
| Terceira | 47.6 | 6 | 29.8 | 3 | 11.0 | 1 | 2.5 | - | 1.3 | - | 10 | ||
| Compensation | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 5 | ||||||
| Total | 49.0 | 31 | 33.0 | 20 | 5.7 | 3 | 2.3 | 1 | 1.9 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 57 |
| Source:Comissão Nacional de Eleições | |||||||||||||
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