Álvaro Monjardino, born on October 6, 1930, on Terceira Island, passed away yesterday after dedicating his life to the Azores, serving as the first president of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and fighting for the affirmation of the Azorean autonomic project, according to José Manuel Bolieiro, who is also the President of the Azores Government. Bolieiro had already publicly lamented the death as head of the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM executive.
Quoted in a press release, Bolieiro states that Monjardino, “beyond the positions he held and the collective legacy he leaves, was a good man who will be missed by the Azores.” He adds, “His memory will serve as an example for all those who continue to serve our nine islands. Álvaro Monjardino will continue to live on through the impact he left on the history of the Azores.”
On Friday, after the news of his death became known, the President of the Azores Government stated on social media that Monjardino “dedicated his life to public service, leaving an important legacy for the affirmation of democracy and autonomy in the Azores.”
Today, the archipelago’s executive released a statement on its website lamenting the death of this “unavoidable figure in the region’s history,” recalling, in addition to his political work, his “significant intellectual legacy,” with works such as “The Fifth Region” or “Education Problems in an Insular Region.”
Born on October 6, 1930, in the parish of Conceição, Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island, Álvaro Monjardino died on Friday at the age of 94 in his hometown.
A law graduate, he was affiliated with the PSD and held various political positions, including as a deputy to the Regional Legislative Assembly in the I and II legislatures (for the Graciosa electoral circle) and in the III legislature (for the Terceira electoral circle). He was elected president of the Azorean parliament in the first two legislatures (1976/1978 and 1979/1984).
He was also a member of the Regional Board of the Azores in the area of Economic Coordination and Finance and held the position of Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister in the IV Constitutional Government, led by Carlos Mota Pinto (1978-1979).
Álvaro Monjardino was also president of the board of the Historical Institute of Terceira Island (1984-1999), a corresponding member of the Portuguese Academy of History, and one of the “main architects” of the process that led to the classification of the historic center of Angra do Heroísmo as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
On September 3, 2021, during the celebrations of the 45th anniversary of regional autonomy, he was honored by the Legislative Assembly at the inauguration of the Azorean parliament library – named the Álvaro Monjardino Library since that date – in a ceremony presided over by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Álvaro Monjardino’s wake will begin today at 2:00 PM local time (3:00 PM in Lisbon) at the Misericórdia church in Angra do Heroísmo, and the funeral will take place on Sunday at 10:00 AM local time, according to the family.
