The Legislative Assembly of the Azores () is the regional assembly/legislature of the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

, an autonomous region of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

History

The regional legislative assembly, since it was first instituted, has maintained its seat in the city of Horta.Fernando Faria Ribeiro (2007), p.32 Initially, it was installed in the building of the masonic temple of the ''Sociedade Amor da Pátria'', from 1976 until 1979, when it was moved to the ''Casa do Relógio'' in the old German quarters' ''Colónia Alemã''.Edição Atlantic View (2003), p.30 Neither of these buildings were sufficiently adequate for the running of the bureaucracy of the regional government, requiring the construction of a new edifice for the Azorean parliament. A commission was established to investigate the requirements and location for a new building (a terrain overlooking an area with view of the islands of the central group of islands). Consequently, the commission resolved, on 4 June 1981, to initiate the process to construct the new building. In 1982, a public tender "for ideas", was initiated, resulting in 63 registered entrants, and 56 acceptable candidates (23 January 1983). This number was weeded down to 27 proposals, which were analyzed by a board of 10 members. The jurists included: representatives from the Regional Assembly; Regional Directorate for Habitation, Urbanism and Environment; Municipal Council of Horta; Regional Directorate for Culture; National Association of Portuguese Architects; and Order of Engineers. In second round of study resulted in five candidates, that included architects Adalberto da Rocha Gonçalves Dias, Eduardo Mário Vale Mendes Carqueijeiro; José Gomes Fernandes; Luís Alexandre Ferreira Chaves and Manuel Correia Fernandes. Between 23 and 26 January 1984, the jury awarded the first prize to the team coordinated by Manuel Correia Fernandes, who were assisted by the firm Teixeira Duarte - Engenharia e Construções, SA (winner of the construction tender). The project was begun on 21 March 1988, and ran for two years: it was inaugurated on 15 July 1990. The solemn ceremony commemorating the inauguration was presided by the Chief of State, Dr.

Mário Soares Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares (; 7 December 1924 – 7 January 2017) was a Portugal, Portuguese politician, who served as prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the List of Presidents of P ...

, and included various figures from Portuguese society.Fernando Faria Ribeiro (2007), p.140 The benediction, by bishop of Angra, Aurélio Granada Escudeiro, which was held in the plenary hall included the participation of the regional deputies, the principal civil, military and eclessiatical authorities, and other invited guests. There were speeches by Paul Valadão (PCP), Rui Meireles (CDS), Martins Goulart (PS) and Madruga da Costa (PSD), who followed the formal introductions by the President of the Assembly Reis Leite, President of the National Assembly, Vítor Crespo, and finally, President Mário Soares. On 13 August 1992, the zone around the assembly was classified as an "''area for the defense and urban control of the classified property''", under regulating decree 17/92/A.Diário da Republica (1992)

Architecture

The legislature is a contemporary structure, constructed specifically for the functioning of the regional assembly, by project architect Manuel Correia Fernandes, and inaugurated in June 1990. Its minimalist design includes a space for plenary sessions of the assembly in the centre block, which is illuminated by a large dome visible from the exterior.

Regional elections

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

* 1988 *

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Elected Composition of the Legislative Assembly of the Azores since 1976

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{Authority control Government of the Azores

Buildings and structures in the Azores Buildings and structures in Horta, Azores