Marcelo hears today from parties and the State Council about the political situation in Madeira

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, hears this Wednesday from parties with parliamentary seats in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira about the political situation in the Region and then meets the Council of State.

The auditions are in the following order:

• 10:00 – Left Block (BE)
• 10:30 am – People-Animals-Nature (PAN)
• 11:00 – Liberal Initiative (IL)
• 11:30 am – Portuguese Communist Party (PCP)
• 12:00 – CDS – Popular Party (CDS-PP)
• 12:30 pm – Arrive (CH)
• 2:00 pm – Together for the People (JPP)
• 2:30 pm – Socialist Party (PS)
• 3:00 pm – Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD)

After the hearings with the parties, Marcelo receives the State Council at 6 pm.

Since March 24th, as six months have passed since the regional elections on September 24th, the Head of State has had the possibility of dissolving the Madeira parliament.

Expresso reported last week that Marcelo would be inclined to dissolve the Madeira Assembly, and call early elections, before swearing in the Government of the Democratic Alliance (PSD/CDS-PP/PSD), in the Assembly of the Republic.

Government in management

Currently, the Madeiran Executive is in management, after its president, Miguel Albuquerque, resigned from his position, which was accepted by the representative of the Republic for Madeira, Ireneu Barreto.

This resignation came after the searches on January 24 that led to Albuquerque being named as a defendant.

Following the searches, the PAN, with which the PSD had a parliamentary agreement, stated that Albuquerque was unable to continue governing.

The CDS-PP, with whom the PSD has a governmental and parliamentary agreement, considered that Albuquerque was not capable of continuing, and therefore a new Government should be formed, with approval of the respective Budget and Government Program. However, the leader of CDS-PP Madeira, Rui Barreto, said that the CDS-PP did not ask for Albuquerque’s removal, but rather the PAN.

Opposition parties in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (PS, Juntos pelo Povo [JPP]Chega, Bloco de Esquerda, PCP, Liberal Initiative) have defended early elections.