Opposition criticizes regional government’s lack of response to Madeira’s housing problem

Opposition parties in Madeira’s parliament criticized this Wednesday the regional government’s lack of response to the housing problem, given that the Social Democratic executive abandoned its policy of building social apartments 20 years ago.

The topic of housing shortage in Madeira was the focus of the second day of the discussion of the XV Regional Government Program in the Legislative Assembly of Funchal, during a debate with the Minister of Equipment and Infrastructure, Pedro Fino.

Regarding the PS, deputies Isabel Garcés and Olga Fernandez believe that the policies developed by the Madeiran government since 2015 “have not provided answers” ​​to the problems of thousands of Madeirans, and the measures taken have only been “quick bandages on a wound that continues to grow.” .

Therefore, they added, PS/Madeira refuses to “give carte blanche to Miguel Albuquerque,” ​​the leader of the executive branch.

The regional secretary countered that the executive had an “ambitious but feasible housing program” while the PS was showing “disorientation and a complete lack of ideas.”

The topic of housing shortage was also chosen by the deputy Jessica Teles of Juntos Pelo Povo (JPP), who recalled that the average income in Madeira is about 1,650 euros and stated that “the autonomy must exhaust all possibilities” to solve the problems. Madeirans.

For PAN, sole MP Mónica Freitas highlighted the “obvious environmental concerns” of the Madeira government’s program, questioning the regional secretary that the Investimentos Habitacionais da Madeira (IHM) has no answers, especially for families who are the target of eviction actions.

“Knowing the needs of families and that work takes time and eviction actions do not wait, what measures can be taken to solve this problem,” he asked.

Commending the position of the PAN parliamentarian, who “would rather build than destroy,” Pedro Fino stressed that the executive intends to provide housing at reduced rents this year, begin work on the construction of another 200 houses that will be delivered in 2026, and promote construction competitions for this sector. private and cooperative.

For his part, the only MP of the Liberal Initiative (IL), Nuno Morna, criticized the “arrogant” position of the PSD, which shows “difficulties in understanding how to manage a minority,” believing that it did nothing for dialogue.

Chega, through deputy Hugo Nunez, also spoke about the measures that need to be taken to ensure that Madeirans have access to the fires planned by the Madeiran Executive.

Late in the day, debate on the government program was interrupted after the president of the executive branch announced the withdrawal of the proposal, acknowledging that it could not be approved on Thursday.

In a statement to Quinta Vigia journalists in Funchal, Miguel Albuquerque stressed that the negotiation process with various political forces is ongoing and that he will present a new government program “in the coming days.”

Discussions on the Madeira government program began on Tuesday, with a vote scheduled for Thursday.

The document will be rejected as PS, JPP and Chega have declared their vote against it. The three parties have a total of 24 deputies out of the 47 that make up the hemicycle, equivalent to an absolute majority.

In early regional elections on May 26, the SDP elected 19 deputies, giving it five terms to achieve an absolute majority (which requires 24), the PS received 11, the AKP nine, Chega four and SDS-PP two. , and IL and PAN elected one deputy each.

After the elections, the PSD signed a parliamentary agreement with the Christian Democrats, but it still lacks an absolute majority. Both parties have a total of 21 seats.

The May elections took place eight months after Madeira’s legislative elections on September 24, 2023, after the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, dissolved the Madeira Parliament following a political crisis that arose in January when Miguel Albuquerque was named as a defendant. in a case of alleged corruption.