Chegi leader André Ventura said this Friday that the PSD will not be the “master of the game” in Sunday’s regional elections in Madeira and expressed hope that his party will become the “central element” of governance.
“It seems increasingly clear to me that the PSD has already realized that it will not win these elections to the extent that it is winning, and that it is not going to be the owner of the ball, the owner of the game in these next elections,” emphasized Andre Ventura.
The Chegi leader spoke to reporters on the streets of Funchal on the final day of campaigning for Sunday’s regional elections, accompanied by list head Miguel Castro and other national and regional party leaders.
Defending the fact that the choice of voters is between the PS and Chega, Andre Ventura expressed the hope that “Chega will have a very strong force that will become the central element of governance and the central element of the legislative definition of the region.”
The leader of Chegi, on the contrary, repeated that he would not agree to an agreement with the outgoing chairman of the regional government and re-candidate for the elections from the PSD, Miguel Albuquerque, “who carries out blackmail after blackmail.”
“Miguel Albuquerque says everything and vice versa, he says that he is ready to rule with everyone, today I read that he will also be available as part of the AKP, so it is a kind of desire to remain in power at any cost, this is not good for democracy is not good example,” he criticized.
Andre Ventura also rejected the agreements with the PS, but admitted that if Miguel Albuquerque does not become chairman of the regional government, “that is a different matter.”
“We don’t agree with corruption, we don’t agree with things that are poorly explained, and at the moment Miguel Albuquerque has a lot of things that are poorly explained,” he insisted.
Andre Ventura also said he recognized that “nobody wants to have elections every six months”, ensuring the party would take “that sense of responsibility” but reiterated that it would not concede on “fundamental issues” such as fighting against corruption.
“One thing we can say to the people of Madeira and Porto Santo: they will not be left without a government, there will be a government, and there will be a government that will work as far as Chega is concerned. If others do not strive for this, but only to save themselves […]”Then they are not doing a good service to democracy, they are doing a good service to themselves,” he said.
Asked if he did not trust the head of the Chegi/Madeira list, given that he regularly participates in the regional campaign, Andre Ventura rejected the idea, saying that this is a “really important” election and that it is his duty to be on the side of the candidates.
“If others feel comfortable in Lisbon today, while an important campaign like this is ending, it is no longer up to me, it is up to the other parties,” he stressed.
President Chegi also spoke about the reduction in VAT on electricity approved today in the Assembly of the Republic to accuse the Democratic Alliance of hypocrisy, saying that “in opposition he says one thing, but when he goes to government he does it.” another”.
The Madeira legislature has 14 candidates vying for 47 seats in the regional parliament in one constituency: ADN, BE, PS, Livre, IL, RIR, CDU (PCP/PEV), Chega, CDS-PP, MPT, PSD, PAN , PTP and JPP.
The early elections will take place eight months after the last regional legislative elections, after the President of the Republic dissolved the Parliament of Madeira following the political crisis provoked in January, when the leader of the regional government (PSD/CDU-PP), Miguel Albuquerque, was named as a defendant in the process, in during which suspicions of corruption are being investigated.
In September 2023, the PSD/SDS coalition won without an absolute majority and elected 23 deputies. The PS received 11 mandates, the JPP five, Cega four, and the CDU, IL, PAN (which signed an agreement on parliamentary influence with the Social Democrats) and BE received one mandate each.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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