Even before the State Council meeting scheduled for 6pm, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicated to the parties that he will dissolve the Madeira parliament and call elections for May 26th.
The revelation was made to journalists by Paulo Cafôfo, the leader of PS Madeira, upon leaving the audience at the Palácio de Belém.
“We in this field are in tune with the President of the Republic, both in the reasons and in the decisions. The President of the Republic conveyed to us his intention to dissolve the Regional Assembly and to call elections for May 26th. We leave here satisfied, We are ready to fight in defense of Madeirans and Portosantos”, said socialist Paulo Cafôfo.
The leader of PS Madeira considered that the legal process involving Miguel Albuquerque cannot be ignored, accusing the president of the regional government of not yet having had the courage to ask for the waiver of his immunity.
“It is necessary for voters to be able to comment because the process was only known in January, a process in which Miguel Albuquerque is indicted for eight crimes of corruption. He had neither the courage nor the dignity to ask for his immunity to be lifted,” said Paulo Cafôfo.
“The President conveyed to us his intention to call elections for May 26th”
The leader of the Socialist Party in Madeira also responds to those who defend a stability solution by saying that they can change their minds.
“Those who pulled the rug out once could pull the rug out again”, warned Paulo Cafôfo, in an allusion to the PAN that withdrew parliamentary support for the PSD-CDS coalition government.
This position of early elections was taken by the majority of parties, the Left Bloc, the Liberal Initiative, the Communist Party, Chega and Juntos pelo Povo.
Representative Miguel Castro, from Chega, even warned Miguel Albuquerque that a government led by him is not viable.
PSD and CDS defend the stability of the current majority
Miguel Albuquerque told the President of the Republic that the current government majority guarantees stability in the region and added that this month in the legislative elections, both parties won in the region and increased the number of votes.
The president of the current Madeira regional government also says that he is not afraid of going to elections, and that he is available to speak to all parties, including Chega.
“I have no red lines in relation to any political party, within those values of the rule of law and others, we must have the responsibility to establish bridges of dialogue with all parties”, said Miguel Albuquerque.
The leader of CDS Madeira, Rui Barreto, also states that Miguel Albuquerque now has reinforced power to lead a new government.
“Doctor Miguel Albuquerque is capable of continuing to serve as president of the Regional Government, due to two very recent facts. The PSD/CDS coalition unequivocally won the legislative elections held on March 10th for the Assembly of the Republic and has another legitimacy that comes from a very recent internal process”, Rui Barreto told journalists, at the Belém Palace.
PAN Madeira, which withdrew parliamentary support for Miguel Albuquerque, now says it is prepared to go to elections in the region and admits new understandings with PSD Madeira.
At the end of the meeting with the President of the Republic, Mónica Freitas said that everything is open and she does not consider the fact that Albuquerque is being investigated on suspicions of corruption to be serious.
This set of hearings takes place after the President of the Republic regained, at the beginning of the week, the power to dissolve the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, as six months have already passed since the regional elections of September 24th, which the PSD/ CDS-PP won without an absolute majority.
The Regional Government of Madeira has been in management since the beginning of February, after the president of the executive, the social democrat Miguel Albuquerque, asked to resign from his position after being accused as part of a process in which suspicions of corruption in the archipelago.
[notícia atualizada às 16h37]
