Madeira PAN imposes ‘red lines’ on party agreements

The head of the PAN list for the expected regional meetings in Madeira, Monica Freitas, hopes to strengthen parliamentary representation to continue the party’s legacy in the Legislative Assembly, and places “red lines and restrictions” on the agreements.

Mónica Alexandra Soares Freitas Marciel was the only person elected from the People-Animals-Nature party in the previous legislative elections in September 2023, marking the party’s return to the archipelago’s parliament.

The social worker, born on November 28, 1995 in the parish of San Pedro in Funchal (she is 28 years old) and lives in the municipality of Santa Cruz, has been at the center of political life in Madeira in recent months because she decided to withdraw political support from the president of the regional government ( PSD/CDS) Miguel Albuquerque, when the social democrat became a defendant in a judicial investigation into alleged corruption.

After the 2023 elections, the PAN signed a parliamentary protection agreement with the PSD, allowing the right-wing coalition to gain an absolute majority. It was the loss of his political confidence in Albuquerque (now again at the top of the list) that led to the government official resigning from his post, leading to the decision of the President of the Republic to dissolve parliament and set legislative elections for May 26.

In an interview with Lusa, the candidate says the purpose of the re-candidacy is for the MHP to “strengthen its parliamentary representation in the regional legislature in order to be able to continue the four-year project that ultimately failed.” interrupted” after a few months.

The regional representative of the PAN, a member since 2021 and which made its debut in the electoral battles in the last regional elections, believes that “very early there were proposals and measures that she would like to see included not only in the Government Program”, but from a budget point of view,” in within the framework of the agreement on parliamentary influence.

Monica Freitas refuses to “analyze hypothetical scenarios” related to possible post-election agreements in a context that is “increasingly unstable.”

“The PAN was able to have an influential role and almost, let’s say, a privileged role in the sense that it could actually implement its measures. We don’t know if this will happen now that the elections are taking place. 26 of May. We can guarantee that our cause and our coalition will always be on the side of the people,” he states.

The party, he assures, “is always committed to a responsible approach, whether when analyzing the budget or when analyzing the government program, regardless of who will create the government on May 26.”

The head of the list rejects any understanding with anti-democratic and extremist forces that propose measures “against human rights and individual freedoms” in order to “roll back a huge number of rights.”

“With regard to the PSD, we also have a limitation: we do not agree with the position taken by Miguel Albuquerque, who continues to head the list while the judicial investigation process is ongoing, and therefore here, of course, we will have some red lines and some restrictions” , he states without elaborating.

However, he adds, this will not invalidate “responsible behavior with the budget and the government program, consistent with the values ​​and principles of PAN.”

The social work graduate sees housing action as one of her priorities: “We have more and more people facing eviction claims and we have a lot of young couples, but not only that, including the middle class who can’t cope current problems. appreciates the rental market.”

In his opinion, initiatives are needed to combat real estate speculation and expand the public offer of rentals and acquisitions at more affordable prices, since what is provided is not enough.

“Much more is needed because it can’t just be Band-Aids, it often needs to get to the root of the problem,” he emphasizes.

Mónica Freitas, on the other hand, advocates revising the statute of the Animal Commissioner to provide more mechanisms for action, as well as the creation of a regional regulation that guarantees the welfare of animals and covers the use of animals for various purposes, including begging. .

He emphasizes the importance of investing in energy efficiency, as well as supporting building resilience, such as purchasing solar panels and rainwater tanks.

The PAN made its debut in the Madeira parliament in the 2011 regional elections, when it received 3,143 votes (2.13%) and elected a deputy, no longer having representation in 2015. In 2023, she received 3,046 votes (2.31%).