The President of the Madeiran Government, Social Democrat Miguel Albuquerque, said on Thursday that now is not the time to provoke new elections because of “insignificant stubbornness”, criticizing “radical” views that are blocking legitimate governance.
“This is the time to govern, not the time to resort to new regional elections, which could happen if reckless stubbornness prevails over regional interests,” he said, speaking at the opening of the debate on the second proposal of the Regional Government Programme in the archipelago’s parliament in Funchal.
On June 19, Miguel Albuquerque announced the withdrawal of the initial proposal due to the leadership declared by the PS, JPP and Chega, which have a total of 24 deputies out of 47 seats, which means an absolute majority.
Faced with this scenario, the regional government invited all parties with seats in parliament to meetings to reach a consensus on the measures to be included in the new version. PS and JPP declined the invitation.
After a week of negotiations, the regional government presented on Tuesday a second document that includes 19 measures proposed by CDS-PP, IL, PAN and Chega, and which will be voted on this Thursday in a vote of confidence.
Chega insisted throughout the negotiation process on the removal of Albuquerque to make the proposal viable, a scenario rejected by the PSD, which led to the president of the archipelago’s government presenting the new program even without the “impressive certainty” of its approval.
However, in a statement published this Thursday by the newspaper Diário de Notícias da Madeira, Chega added that this removal should only happen if Albuquerque, who is accused in a case of alleged corruption, is actually indicted by the prosecutor’s office.
In his speech in parliament, the regional government chairman stressed that “the election campaign ended with the people’s verdict on election day,” May 26, and the parties must “take responsibility and calmly announce the results.”
The PSD, the party that has governed Madeira for 48 years, remained the party with the most votes in May, but fell short of an absolute majority.
According to the regional leader, in a parliamentary regime like Madeira, “the formation of a majority by one party is difficult and inter-party dialogue plays a very important role”, so the PSD “must demonstrate a willingness to dialogue and make commitments that ensure governance”.
In turn, he added, minority parties must “also ensure that the minimum foundations of democratic governance are not called into question.”
The Social Democrat stressed that “biased attitudes are unhealthy and can only lead to blockade situations that “do not benefit anyone” and “weaken democracy and democratic parties.”
According to the Governor, the current political situation in Madeira “requires the presence of parliamentary parties to achieve mutual understanding.”
“May we be able to responsibly overcome our healthy differences, given the current situation, and find common ground that will allow us to ensure stability and governance in our region,” he stressed, stressing that for the people of Madeira, “the political crisis has been going on for too long.”
In his opinion, the population is tired of “heightened ‘partisanship’ and exaggerated divisions, which only contribute to the growth of social tensions,” which makes it necessary to normalize the region’s public life with a fully functioning executive branch and an approved budget.
“It is unthinkable for most citizens that the region would remain in limbo due to simple political irresponsibility and a lack of a sense of state,” he stressed.
In the early regional elections in May, the SDP elected 19 MPs, giving it five terms to achieve an absolute majority, the PS won 11 MPs, the AKP nine, Çega four and the SDS-PP two, while the IL and MHP elected one MP each.
After the vote, the SDP signed a parliamentary agreement with the Christian Democrats, but still lacked an absolute majority. Both parties have 21 seats, and the PS and JPP have 20, so abstention by the remaining parties is enough to make the government’s program viable.
The May elections come eight months after the Madeiran legislative elections in September 2023, after the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dissolved the Madeiran Parliament following a political crisis triggered in January when Albuquerque was accused of resigning.
Due to the crisis this year, voting on the regional budget was not held.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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