Albuquerque justifies cuts in executive power with agreement on parliamentary influence

The President of the Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, said this Friday that the reduction in the number of secretariats of the new executive for the period 2023-2027 from eight to six is ​​the result of an agreement on parliamentary influence with the PAN.

“Governments are created according to the times we live in and at this point I thought that now is the right time to reorganize the government, a government that will have more parliamentary influence,” he said.

Miguel Albuquerque spoke as part of a visit to the basic school of the 2nd and 3rd cycles of Canizo in the municipality of Santa Cruz, east of the island, a day after the representative of the Republic appointed him president of the regional government of Madeira. Ireneu Barreto after Sunday’s elections.

According to the official results of the regional legislative elections in Madeira, already published in Diário da República, the PSD/SDS-PP coalition, whose list was headed by Miguel Albuquerque, leader of the Madeiran Social Democrats and president of the executive since 2015, won 58,394 deputies. votes (44.31%), but he was one deputy short of an absolute majority, electing 23 representatives out of 47 that make up the regional parliament.

Following the election results, the only deputy elected by the PAN, Mónica Freitas, and the PSD/Madeira president entered into an agreement on parliamentary influence over the legislature.

PAN, with 3,046 votes (2.31%), thus guarantees the viability of a third executive director led by Miguel Albuquerque.

The composition of the regional government of Madeira for the period 2023-2027 was announced on Thursday, four days after the elections, and determines the elimination of two regional secretariats: for Maritime and Fisheries and for Environment, Resources and Climate Change, which are now under the control of the secretariats of the economy and agriculture, respectively.

“On the other hand, it is also clear that the work done is not at risk. All the secretaries who left the government did an exceptional job, with great integrity, and for now we are going to continue in an otherwise organic and functional manner,” said Miguel Albuquerque.

Madeira’s chief executive said that forming the government was his “sole responsibility”, stressing that “there are no secretariats of the UDS or secretariats of the PSD.”

“There are secretariats of the government that I head in the coalition,” he added.

“I do not renounce the responsibility of leading the government as long as this government is my exclusive responsibility,” he also said, recalling that “it has always been this way.”

Miguel Albuquerque supports within the government the portfolio holders of Finance (Rogério Gouveia), Equipment and Infrastructure (José Pedro Fino), Tourism and Culture (Eduardo Jesús) and Health and Civil Protection (Pedro Ramos).

Jorge Carvalho also continues to be involved in education and science, whereas in the previous government he still had technology.

Centrist Rui Barreto, who was the Somos-Madeira coalition’s number two candidate in last Sunday’s elections, remains in charge of the economy, as well as the sea and fisheries. These two areas have been under the control of Teofilo Cunha (CDS-PP) for the last four years, who is not part of the new leadership.

Rafaela Fernandez, current president of the Regional Health Service (Sesaram), makes her debut in government positions and becomes regional secretary for agriculture and environment.

Ana Souza, former director of Madeira’s Department for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities, will also join the government’s team for social inclusion and youth, replacing Rita Andrade, who was secretary for social inclusion and citizenship in the legislature that is now ending its term.

Humberto Vasconcelos, in charge of agriculture and regional development, and Susana Prada, in charge of the environment, natural resources and climate change, also left the regional government.

In Sunday’s elections, the PSD/CDU-PP coalition elected 23 MPs, the IPS 11, the PPP five and Chega four, while the CDU (PCP/PEV), BE, PAN and IL each elected one MP.

Miguel Albuquerque said the political commission and the PSD/Madeira regional council will meet next week to ratify agreements with CDS-PP, coalition partner Somos Madeira, and with PAN.