PS says Madeira election forecast shows desire for change

The PS/Madeira party believes the first forecast for this Sunday’s regional elections shows voters’ desire for change and does not rule out the possibility of a left-wing majority, the leader of the socialist campaign said.

“This first forecast allows us to highlight that there is a clear desire for change in the autonomous region of Madeira,” said Victor Freitas, also campaign director for the Madeira Socialists.

The former leader and MP of the PS/Madeira considered it “premature” to carry out a detailed analysis of the Catholic University’s RTP forecast, according to which the PSD will win the regional legislatures of Madeira this Sunday with between 33% and 38% of the votes. the vast majority fail.

It also noted that the PS, the second-largest party with the most votes, could elect between 11 and 14 deputies, representing between 21% and 25%.

“There could have been a majority on the left, there could have been a majority on the right, and the majority on the right already existed and fell of its own accord and led to these elections,” he added.

Victor Freitas added that only towards the end of the night will it be possible to know what “paths Madeira could take”, admitting that this scenario may not be “already obvious and absolute”.

The President also stressed that several candidates – CDS, IL, Chega and PAN – assured during the election campaign that they would not form a coalition with the PSD led by Miguel Albuquerque and that this Sunday “they cannot take what is said for what is not said.” “.

“Therefore, the Socialist Party will be open to dialogue with all other political forces without exception, in order to build something for the future this Sunday,” he emphasized.

The socialist recalled that Madeira has been governed by the same party for 48 years, adding that if the projected figures come true, the region will have a “PSD well below 40%, close to 30%,” indicating a “path of no return.”

The early regional legislative elections in Madeira took place this Sunday, in a vote in which more than 254 thousand voters were called upon to vote to choose a new parliament and a new government.

Fourteen candidates competed for 47 regional parliament seats in one constituency: ADN, BE, PS, Livre, IL, RIR, CDU (PCP/PEV), Chega, CDS-PP, MPT, PSD, PAN, PTP and JPP.

This Sunday’s early elections took place eight months after the last regional legislative elections, after the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, dissolved the Parliament of Madeira following the political crisis provoked in January by the leader of the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP), Miguel Albuquerque was named as a defendant in an investigation into allegations of corruption.

In the last legislature, the Legislative Assembly of Madeira consisted of 20 representatives from the PSD, three from the SDS-PP, 11 from the PS, five from the JPP and four from Chegi. The CDU, BE, PAN and IL took one seat each.

According to an estimate by the Center for Research and Public Opinion of the Portuguese Catholic University, published by RTP at 18:30, between 44% and 49% are expected to abstain this Sunday.