The Legislative Assembly of Madeira has begun to discuss the Programme of the Regional Government, of the PSD/CDS-PP coalition, which includes “all the proposals” made by PAN, with the vote on the document scheduled for Friday.
The president of the Madeiran executive, the social democrat Miguel Albuquerque, delivered the Programme of the XIV Regional Government of Madeira for the four-year period 2023-2027 to the President of the island parliament, José Manuel Rodrigues (CDS-PP), on the 7th of November.
This is the first programme that the coalition regional government has presented since it lost its majority this September.
The PSD/CDS-PP coalition won the regional elections, but was one deputy short of an absolute majority, by electing 23 parliamentarians out of a total of 47 that make up the regional parliament, having negotiated a parliamentary incidence agreement with PAN (People-Animals-Nature Party), which elected one deputy, thus ensuring the viability of the third executive headed by Miguel Albuquerque.
When delivering the Regional Government Programme, the President of the Madeiran Government stressed that the executive intends to “maintain the path of economic growth in all sectors, ensure social cohesion and intervention with a view to improving the incomes of fellow citizens,” as well as ensure the completion of the work on the new hospital in Madeira and strengthen the operational capacity of the region’s Health Service (SESARAM).
Miguel Albuquerque also stressed that the Government Programme “continues the path of fiscal consolidation, good public accounts and the progressive reduction of Madeira’s debt.”
Referring to the creation of a tourist tax, highlighted by PAN, the President of the Regional Government said that “it has to be a reality” in 2024, stressing that the executive’s programme includes “all the proposals” of that party.
The minister also stressed that the executive will make a “massive investment in housing at controlled costs and with affordable rent” and highlighted, on the other hand, the continuation of works in terms of the capture and distribution of water resources and investments within the renewable energy sector.
The President went on to say:
“We will also continue to invest in a good education, in an education of excellence for our young people, articulating, in this aspect, an important role of partnership with the University of Madeira and with the research centres linked to the university and the Government.”
The Programme of the XIV Regional Government of Madeira also points to the creation of financial incentives in the technological area.
“In this sense, another decisive bet is the continuation of the tax reduction for families and also to be attractive from the point of view of attracting companies, skills and foreign capital,” he added.
The document, consisting of 190 pages, is divided into nine chapters: Autonomy and Reform of the Political System; Education and Training, Migration, Sports, Science and Technology; Economy, Sea and Fisheries; Finance, Fiscal Autonomy and International Competitiveness; Health and Civil Protection; Tourism and Culture; Agriculture and Environment; Equipment and Infrastructures; Inclusion and Youth.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
