According to a statement released today, the program begins on Wednesday, 2 September, with a visit by children from local activity and leisure centres to the Parliament Museum and the plenary chamber; there, they will take part in various educational and recreational activities focused on autonomy and the workings of the Legislative Assembly of the Azores.

That afternoon, the body’s president, Social Democrat Luís Garcia, will also welcome visitors from day centres and social clubs on Faial Island, offering them a chance to engage more closely with the institution and the history of autonomy.

On 3 September, the parliament will host members of the first legislature of what was then the Regional Assembly of the Azores in the plenary chamber, as well as the first President of the Regional Government, João Bosco Mota Amaral (PSD).

“The gathering aims to honour the key figures behind the region’s self-governing bodies, recognising their contribution to the establishment and consolidation of Azorean autonomy,” the statement reads.

Also on that day, Luís Garcia will welcome the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, at Horta Airport; Aguiar-Branco is travelling to the Azores to participate in the commemorations.

At 6:00 pm, a mass will be celebrated at the Horta Parish Church, presided over by the Bishop of Angra, Armando Esteves Domingues; the ceremony is open to the public.

In the evening, the Teatro Faialense will host the premiere of the musical “O Canto da Autonomia” (The Song of Autonomy), created by Filipe Fonseca and Victor Rui Dores. This initial performance is for guests only, though the show will be repeated on the 4th for the general public (tickets must be collected in advance from the Urbhorta box offices).

The centrepiece of the program commemorating 50 years of regional autonomy takes place on Friday, the 4th, at 10:30 am. It consists of a formal parliamentary session marking the anniversary of the inaugural session of the Regional Assembly of the Azores—held on 4 September 1976, at the “Amor da Pátria” Society in the city of Horta.

The session will feature speeches by the leaders of the eight parliamentary groups and representations (PSD, PS, Chega, CDS-PP, IL, BE, PAN, and PPM), the President of the Regional Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, and Luís Garcia and Aguiar-Branco.

A tribute to former presidents of the Legislative Assembly and the Regional Government is also scheduled.

Also on the 4th, at 6:30 pm, the 19 municipalities of the Azores will join the commemorations through a celebratory event organised in coordination with the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (AMRAA), taking place simultaneously across the archipelago’s various municipalities.