PS Madeira leader reveals that Marcelo is moving forward with early elections | Wood

Paulo Cafofo, leader of PS-Madeira, revealed this Wednesday, after an audience with the President of the Republic, that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed to him the intention that he will schedule early elections in Madeira and that they will take place on May 26th.

“We, in this field, are in agreement and in tune with the President of the Republic, whether in the reasons or in the decisions. And the President of the Republic conveyed to us his intention to dissolve the Regional Assembly and to call elections for the May 26th. And, therefore, we leave here satisfied”, stated Cafofo.

The majority of parties consulted by the President called for early elections. PSD and CDS, which form the current Madeiran Government, are against it. Upon leaving the audience with Marcelo, Miguel Albuquerque, leader of the PSD and the Government, said he was “not afraid” of elections, but again stated that the current Government was capable of continuing in office. Albuquerque stated once again that, if early elections are held, he will be the head of the list for the PSD.

“In the current framework, we conveyed our position to the President of the Republic. The first is to say that at this moment there is a framework of parliamentary stability in Madeira and that allows the continuation of the government”, stated Miguel Albuquerque, highlighting that the regional elections took place in September 2023 and that “this confidence in the national legislative elections was ratified” March 10th.

Asked about his status as a defendant, Miguel Albuquerque argued that this status should be “a benefit for those being investigated” and that anyone in that position “does not have to resign from political positions”.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is listening to the parties represented in the regional parliament of Madeira and this Tuesday he will listen to the Council of State after the President of the Republic regained, at the beginning of the week, the power to dissolve the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. Madeira, since six months have already passed since the regional elections of September 24th, which the PSD/CDS-PP coalition 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, resigned from his position after being accused as part of a process in which suspicions of corruption in the archipelago.

Following the dismissal of Miguel Albuquerque, formally accepted on February 5th and which led to the fall of the PSD/CDS-PP executive, the representative of the Republic, Ireneu Barreto, announced that he would keep the Government of Madeira in management until the head of State decide whether to dissolve the Legislative Assembly. With Lusa.