Political Turmoil in Madeira: Miguel Albuquerque Faces Historic No-Confidence Vote

No-Confidence Motion Against Madeira's Government

The no-confidence motion initiated by the Chega party against the minority government of Miguel Albuquerque is set to be discussed and voted on this Tuesday in the Madeiran parliament. If approved, this will mark the first time a regional government has fallen due to such a motion.

The motion was submitted back in November, citing judicial processes that have raised suspicions about the president of the Madeiran executive and four regional secretaries, who have been named as defendants in various legal cases.

Political Landscape

The motion's approval seems assured, contingent upon the main opposition parties (PS, JPP, and Chega), which together hold an absolute majority, maintaining their decision to vote in favor. This would lead to the downfall of the Regional Government that emerged from the early elections in May, which has been in office since June 6.

The representative of the Republic in the region, Ireneu Barreto, is expected to listen to the parties represented in parliament. However, the ultimate decision to dissolve the Legislative Assembly and call for new elections rests with the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. In the meantime, the current government remains in power.

This marks the first term where the Social Democrats do not have a majority support in the assembly. In 2019, the PSD formed a post-electoral agreement with the CDS to ensure an absolute majority, and in 2023, this goal was achieved with a coalition agreement between PSD and PAN.

The regional elections in May followed a period of controversy, where Albuquerque was named a defendant in a corruption case and resigned after losing confidence from PAN in January.