Manuel Albuquerque is the new name to remember for Madeira as he has been voted in as the new President of the regional government.
He is a Social Democrat and the PSD won a controlling majority with 44.33% of the islanders’ votes with 24 of its MPs being elected.
The Christian democratic, conservative and national conservative party, CDS–PP, came in second with 13.9% and the new kid on the block, the JPP or Together the People, came in third with an impressive 10.3% of the votes.
The Socialist Party despite linking up with some samller parties, only polled 11%. Overall the number of abstentions was high at 51%.
Lisbon heaved a sigh of relief when incumbent Alberto João Jardim called it a day after 37 years of crackpot leadership, a political mix of Benny Hill and Basil Fawlty whose rude, boorish and insulting behaviour gathered voters’ support despite the island becoming further isolated from mainstream Portuguese political and economic activity.
Albuquerque is suave, connected and was the mayor of Funchal until he went for the top job at the age of 53.
It is the electorate’s hope that the financial situation in Madeira can start to be reversed with an uncovering of the myriad schemes and scams perpetuated by Jardim who ran the island without the benefit of fiscal controls.
Comments
They have all been on very nice earners for years .... consider EU funds - 20% for the local elite; 20% for the leading (municipal) politicians; 20% for municipal admin. staff.; 20% for fixers and arrangers; and on the project itself .... 20% !!!
So ... given that this new fella had to be a new broom within the existing ruling party or he would not exist (Jardim was also PSD) - and must work with the existing party elite - can we expect any improvement ???
And - with all the missing and faked votes in Madeira as on the mainland - this is a country in the European Union ?
the problem is that 'setting a thief to catch a thief' might work in developed countries with moral compasses about good and bad behaviour.
But in countries like Portugal criminality merges seemlessly with everyday behaviour. Distinctions are not just blurred but non-existent. Breaking the law becomes an irrelevance - far more important is the focus on covering your tracks.
We must not ignore that Jardim just sat on the top of the steaming mess for nearly 40 years. Dozens of underlings and wheeler - dealers knew what they were doing was wrong .... but did it anyway.
As on mainland Portugal - speaking out about wrong behaviour will leave you isolated and afraid. Not a teamplayer. And likely to be smeared with some invented charge to get you moved on and out.
Not just a greek problem !