The leader of the PSD/Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, announced this Wednesday that the party’s president and prime minister, Luis Montenegro, will not participate in the congress of the Social Democrats of Madeira, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday in Funchal.
“I was told yesterday [terça-feira] that the Prime Minister, unfortunately, already has a state visit planned to Cape Verde and will not be able to attend the congress here,” he explained, pointing out that, in principle, he will be represented by Secretary General Hugo Soares.
Miguel Albuquerque, speaking during a visit to the Funchal plant where he went as outgoing President of the Regional Government (PSD/SDS-PP), said, on the other hand, that the party structures have not yet decided who will be Madeira’s candidate for European elections on June 9 and what their position will be on the list.
“On Monday we will have the National Council, of which I am the president, to approve the list. Therefore, we will continue negotiations,” he said.
Miguel Albuquerque will officially lead the PSD/Madeira at the congress scheduled for the weekend after winning the internal elections on March 21 with 54.3% of the votes against 44.5% for the list headed by Manuel Antonio Correia.
Albuquerque had led the party’s regional structure since 2014 and headed Madeira’s executive branch since 2015, but stepped down following an investigation into alleged corruption in the archipelago.
The regional government, part of the PSD/SDS-PP coalition, with parliamentary support from the PAN, has been in power since early February.
Albuquerque resigned after he was named as a defendant in the case and PAN lost his political credibility.
Following the political crisis, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, dissolved the Parliament of Madeira and called early elections for May 26.
The PSD, which ran in coalition with the SDS-PP in the regional elections in September 2023, is now going it alone, with Miguel Albuquerque again at the top of the list.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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