Miguel Albuquerque denied on Saturday that a political crisis exists in the region. He said:
“The crisis is not rooted in governance. The crisis is rooted in the irresponsibility of certain political parties that have not yet realized that what the region needs now is stability and a good government.”
Recent Meeting With Hugo Soares
Miguel Albuquerque spoke to journalists during a visit to a housing development with 25 homes in Quinta Grande, a parish in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, in western Madeira. He also confirmed that he met with Hugo Soares, the secretary-general of the PSD, on Friday in Funchal.
He said that:
“[Hugo Soares] was with me, but it wasn’t to talk about anything that was in the news today, it was to deal with the final issues of the [State Budget for 2025].”
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Discussion On Political Situation And Censure Motion
Information about the meeting between Miguel Albuquerque and Hugo Soares was released on Saturday by Diário de Notícias da Madeira.
The report highlighted that one of the main objectives of the meeting was to discuss the political situation in the region, including the possibility of the president of the executive stepping down from his position.
Miguel Albuquerque declared that:
“Everyone has already realized that the political crisis is Mr. [André] Ventura’s adventurism, it is Chega [in Madeira] serving as a crutch for the left and these left-wing parties, which wanted to form a government when they lost the elections, without having a majority, to ruin this and harm everyone’s lives. This is the political crisis.”
Chega’s Motion of Censure Against the PSD Executive
On November 6, Chega presented a motion of censure against the PSD minority executive, citing ongoing legal proceedings involving the executive president and four regional secretaries, all of whom have been named as defendants.
If the announced voting intentions are confirmed, the motion will be approved with the votes of PS, JPP, Chega, and IL, which together hold an absolute majority. In addition to the PSD, the parliament also includes the CDS-PP (which has an agreement with the social democrats) and the PAN.
According to the rules of the Regional Assembly, the motion of censure was supposed to be discussed by Monday, November 18.
However, the parliament approved, by majority vote, a postponement until December 17. This decision prompted Chega to appeal to the courts in an attempt to reverse the parliament’s ruling.
Albuquerque Defends His Position and Accuses Opposition Parties
On Saturday, the president of the Regional Government said that:
“There is no political crisis whatsoever. The political crisis was triggered by a desire for power. There has been no change in circumstances.”
The head of the Madeiran government, however, accused the opposition parties of adventurism and irresponsibility.
He explained that:
“The only crisis that exists is this adventurism and irresponsibility of the opposition parties, who do not understand that there is a time for elections and a time for government, there is a time for elections and a time for scrutiny of the government, which must be done through parliament. It is not about bringing down governments all the time.”
Miguel Albuquerque Emphasizes PSD Independence from Lisbon
Miguel Albuquerque stressed, however, that everything is aligned with the national structure of the PSD. He also warned that the PSD/Madeira is not dictated by Lisbon and emphasized that it does not need advice from national leaders.
He said that:
“I don’t need advice for anything, I wasn’t born yesterday, I’m not depressed, nor am I worried about leaving with dignity, that’s all nonsense one thing I won’t do is give power in the region to the opposition parties.”
Albuquerque Legal Issues and Election Results
Albuquerque, who has led the PSD/Madeira since 2014 and the regional executive since 2015, was named a defendant in late January on suspicion of corruption, abuse of power, and prevarication.
The Social Democrat resigned at the time but won the early elections in May. However, the PSD did not secure an absolute majority. Despite reaching a parliamentary agreement with the CDS-PP, the two parties together have only 21 deputies, while an absolute majority requires 24.
The approval of the motion of censure would require the resignation of the Regional Government, which would remain in office until a new team is inaugurated.
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