President António José Seguro has appointed Susana Goulart Costa as the Representative of the Republic for the Azores and Paulo Duarte Barreto Ferreira for Madeira. Susana Goulart Costa is the first woman to hold this position in an autonomous region.
President appoints new Republic representatives for Azores and Madeira

Context & Explainers

- President of Portugal (since March 9, 2026)
- Party: Independent. Former leader of the Socialist Party (PS), Partido Socialista
- Center-left
António José Martins Seguro (born March 11, 1962, in Penamacor) is a lawyer, political scientist, and the current President of the Portuguese Republic, inaugurated on March 9, 2026 after winning the two-round presidential election in January–February 2026.
Career: He led Socialist Youth (1990–1994), served as MEP (1999–2001), was Minister Adjunct to PM António Guterres (2001–2002), and led the PS parliamentary group (2004–2005). Elected PS Secretary-General in 2011 with 68%, he led the opposition during Portugal's bailout era. In 2014, António Costa defeated him in party primaries by a landslide, prompting Seguro's resignation and a decade-long retreat from politics. He returned in 2025, launching the movement UPortugal and announcing his presidential candidacy in June. He received official PS backing in October 2025 and won the presidency in February 2026.
Political philosophy: Seguro positions himself as representing a "modern and moderate" left, advocating financial responsibility while opposing austerity. As President, he has emphasized institutional trust, efficient governance, and a collaborative relationship with the government while maintaining rigorous constitutional oversight.
7 sources
- Seguro appoints first woman as Representative of the Republic in the AzoresExpresso ·
- President of the Republic has appointed representatives in the autonomous regions (and there is something unprecedented in the Azores)CNN Portugal ·
- President of the Republic appoints Susana Goulart Costa and Paulo Barreto Ferreira as Republic Representatives in the Azores and MadeiraDiário de Notícias ·
- Seguro appoints 1st woman as Representative of the RepublicObservador ·
- Seguro appoints representatives for the Azores and Madeira and chooses a woman for the first timePúblico ·
- Seguro appoints Susana Goulart Costa and Paulo Barreto Ferreira as representatives in the Azores and MadeiraECO ·
- President appoints Susana Goulart Costa and Paulo Barreto Ferreira as Republic representatives in the Azores and MadeiraRTP Notícias ·




