The representative of the Republic of Madeira said this Monday that he will never be able to eliminate the political consequences of the non-approval of the Regional Government Program, stressing that the executive “sits exclusively” in the Legislative Assembly and only this body can dismiss him. .
“The Representative of the Republic will never be able to derive political consequences from this disapproval, since […] The regional government is based solely on the Legislative Assembly, and only this body can dissolve the government,” said Ireneu Barreto, speaking at a military ceremony of the Madeira Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (PRN) in Funchal.
On Wednesday, the head of the regional government of Madeira, Social Democrat Miguel Albuquerque, announced that the government program would be withdrawn from debate in the Madeira parliament, with a vote scheduled for the next day, Thursday.
The document, which is voted on in the form of a vote of confidence, will be rejected because PS, JPP and Chega, with a total of 24 deputies out of the 47 that make up the semi-circle, have announced their vote against.
In his speech this Monday, the representative of the Republic emphasized that, unlike what happens in the Assembly of the Republic and in the Azores, where the refusal to approve a vote of confidence “necessarily implies the resignation of the executive, the Administrative-Political Statute of the law in force in the region “requires approval government program through a vote of confidence,” but “says nothing about the consequences of non-approval.”
According to Ireneu Barreto, “one could say that this is a gap that needs to be filled in accordance with what is happening in the Republic and the Azores; the decision is, in fact, put forward by some doctrine.”
However, for the consulting judge, “this is not the best route since the above-mentioned Political-Administrative Statute very clearly eliminates the consequences of approving a vote of disapproval, while a vote of confidence is otherwise secured.” .
Thus, the representative of the Republic cannot be the one who can derive political consequences from the disapproval of a vote of confidence, since the regional government is based solely on the archipelago parliament and only this body can dismiss the executive.
“Neither the representative of the republic, nor even His Excellency the President of the republic could do this,” he added.
Therefore, he continued, to overcome the situation, “all political leaders” must place “the emphasis of their actions on the interests of the region” so that it can be “endowed with a government program and budget that brings stability.”
“Until then, the government will continue to govern the country,” he said, calling on the executive to make efforts to “overcome the inconveniences arising from the twelfth regime.”
“And I confirm my intention to make every effort to ensure the success of your mission,” he emphasized.
PS, JPP and Chega insisted that the problem with the approval of the government program was the chairman of the regional government, demanding his removal.
However, Miguel Albuquerque refuses to leave the presidency, believing that he has been properly legitimized in the internal and recent regional elections.
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 still lacked an absolute majority. Both parties have a total of 21 seats.
Also after the vote, the PS and JPP (20 seats in total) announced an agreement to try to remove the PSD from power, but the representative of the Republic realized that this was not viable and nominated Miguel Albuquerque.
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.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.