The PSD/Madeira leader is not concerned about the criticism of incoherence regarding the end of term limits in the party’s statutes, approved at last weekend’s congress. When asked about the criticism, Miguel Albuquerque replied directly: “I accept them.”
Still, he justified the decision with the need to preserve the party’s internal stability. “One of the bases of the PSD’s success is not to have internal instability. If I put it as a limit on the exercise of my mandate, there would be instability,” he said, arguing that the absence of a defined limit avoids early disputes for leadership.
For Miguel Albuquerque, the new model keeps the party cohesive by leaving its political future open. “This way, everything is open. Nobody knows if I’m going to leave or not, which means that the PSD is stable,” he stressed, adding that the statutory change was unanimously approved by the militants.
The social democratic leader also downplayed external criticism, suggesting that it comes from outside the party. “Whoever criticises me is not from the PSD. If there is a group of individuals who criticise, it is a sign that I have made a good decision, because they want destruction and confusion within the PSD,” he declared.
On the democratic reading of the measure, Miguel Albuquerque defended a vision based on the will of the militants. “True democracy is the one that stems from common sense and the will of militants, and not from half a dozen guys,” he concluded, reinforcing that he will not allow internal divisions in the party.
One of the criticisms levied against him was by the Portuguese Labour Party (PTP).
The Portuguese Labour Party (PTP) reacted with sarcasm to the PSD-Madeira’s statutory amendment that lifted Miguel Albuquerque’s term limit, comparing the President of the Regional Government to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The party was drawing on similarities between the amendment of the Chinese Constitution to allow Xi Jinping to remain in power and the change in the statutes of the PSD-Madeira enabling a prolonged leadership of Albuquerque.
The PTP also recalls that Miguel Albuquerque criticised Alberto João Jardim in the past for eternalising himself in power, considering that the current President of the Regional Government is now following the same path.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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