With a carnation in his lapel, the parliamentary leader of the Socialist Party, Paulo Cafôfo, took advantage of the commemorative session of the 52nd anniversary of the 25th of April, this morning, in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, to criticise the “systematic blockade” of the PSD/CDS majority to the opposition’s initiatives, arguing that a mature Democracy “does not confuse majority with monopoly of reason.”
During a speech marking the 25th of April and the 52nd anniversary of Madeira’s Autonomy, Cafôfo highlighted the importance of reflecting on the quality of regional democracy and whether institutions are ready to meet the demands of Autonomy. “A majority exists to govern, not to obstruct,” said Paulo Cafôfo.
To support his position, the deputy presented figures of the legislative production of the current legislature: the PS is responsible for 51 parliamentary initiatives — draft regional legislative decrees, bills to the Assembly of the Republic, and draft resolutions — which represents 44% of all legislative activity produced by parties with parliamentary seats. “Almost half,” reiterated Cafôfo, stressing that these numbers show that the PS “honours the mandate it received from the Madeirans with work, with proposals and with a sense of responsibility.”
The socialist parliamentary leader criticises that many of these initiatives are being rejected “not for their content, not for their merit, not for their usefulness, but only because they come from the Socialist Party,” giving as a recent example the proposals to reduce the ISP and VAT on fuels and the tax burden on gas, discussed this week in the regional parliament.
In one of the strongest moments of his speech, Cafôfo shared striking figures about the Region’s social reality: 67 thousand people live in overcrowded housing, 53 thousand are at risk of poverty, 7 thousand rely on the Food Bank, over 100 thousand live in inadequate homes, more than 1,400 are waiting for housing, and 350 remain hospitalised due to “discharge” issues. He also pointed out that Madeira has recorded the country’s highest inflation for 30 straight months — with a 3.2% average index variation in March 2026 — while the Regional Government’s tax revenue rose by 9.5% in the first months of the year. “Families pay more to eat, to get around, and to live, while the government benefits from their sacrifice,” Cafôfo remarked.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
The socialist spokesman directly blamed those who has always governed the Region due to the structural problems that persist in housing, health, cost of living and inequalities, stating that “who has always been in charge he cannot now present himself as a commentator on the problems he left behind drag”. And he went further: “Democracy requires responsibility. E truth requires memory.”
The speech ended on a note of hope and affirmation with Cafôfo arguing that Autonomy “only makes sense if improve people’s lives” and demanding an Assembly where the majority govern without blocking and where the opposition is heard. “Madeira does not need to of one, not two, not three Salazares. It needs more Democracy. From better Democracy. And of an Autonomy at the service of the people”, he concluded.
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