The party had its origin in the
Movimento para a Autodeterminação do Povo Açoriano (MAPA) (
Self-determination Movement for the Azorean People) founded in 1979 by Francisco da Costa Matos. The Movement and, later the PDA, promoted a form of home rule for the
Azores, following the example of the
Bermudas. While registered with the
Supremo Tribunal de Justiça (
Supreme Court) on 5 November 1979 as the
União Democrática do Atlântico (
Democratic Union of the Atlantic), it had changed its name to the
PDA by the 1983 election. In the Regional legislative election in the Azores held in 2004 the PDA got 284 votes. It first presented a list of candidates for the
national assembly elections on 20 February 2005, but only received 0.35% (1618 votes) for the Azores. Although initially perceived as a far-right party, the party claimed to be as a right-of-centre party. It supported
Socialist Manuel Alegre when he ran as an independent in the
Portuguese presidential election of 2006 and, again, in 2011. During the
2008 regional elections, the party ran a campaign that included the support for a mandatory local history discipline in the regions curriculum. Visiting the district school in
Ribeira Grande, party leader José Ventura, indicated proposals to extend history in school, and evaluate students. The party's registration was cancelled by the
Constitutional Court of Portugal on 1 September 2015, after the party failed to submit its required annual report in 2011, 2012, and 2013. ==Party leaders==