In a statement, the leader of Chega Madeira, Miguel Castro, expressed that the agreements formed between JPP and PSD in the parishes of Santo António, São Martinho, São Pedro, and Santa Maria Maior represent “a true betrayal of the voters’ trust and undeniable proof that JPP has become just another part of the system it often criticizes.”
The PSD/CDS-PP coalition won the municipal elections on the 12th with an absolute majority for the second consecutive time in the main municipality of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Funchal, thus governing all 10 parishes within the municipality.
The PSD/CDS-PP coalition elected six councilors, JPP two, Chega two, while the PS, which previously had five representatives, secured only one councilor.
In the parishes of Santo António, São Martinho, and São Pedro, JPP was the second most voted party, while in Santa Maria Maior, the Socialists came in second place.
In a note, Chega stated that with these agreements, “JPP demonstrated what has always been latent: an insatiable thirst for power and a total lack of political coherence,” revealing “its true face” and transitioning from “an independent party, a defender of the people, and a critic of the system, to just a mere crutch for the PSD.”
“At the first opportunity, with the CDS’s blessing, they immediately sided with the system to secure positions and power,” accused Miguel Castro, further insisting that JPP, the main opposition party in the Madeiran parliament (holding 11 of the 47 seats), “sold out for power” and “betrayed the popular will” by “actively participating in the stifling of democratic plurality in the parishes where it formed alliances with PSD.”
“These agreements are an insult to the will of the people and proof that JPP is, after all, more of the same. They sold out for convenience, for positions, and ceased to represent the change they once promised. It’s the system replicating itself, and JPP is now complicit in this charade,” added the Chega/Madeira leader.
Demanding that JPP “answer to the Madeirans and publicly explain why it chose to side with the system instead of respecting the popular will,” Miguel Castro noted that “local democracy is impoverished when parties that claim to be different sell out for power at the first opportunity.”
In contrast, he assured, Chega “will continue to be the voice of truth, transparency, and political courage lacking in those who thrive on arrangements and empty promises.”
In a separate statement, JPP described Miguel Castro’s accusations as “irresponsible,” highlighting that they come from a party that “in Madeira and on the mainland, has its leadership formed by PSD dissidents and hasn’t recovered from finishing fifth in the election results in the region.”
Élvio Sousa, the JPP leader cited in the document, emphasized that his party’s stance stems from “a position of responsibility and acceptance of democratic results and the choices of the electorate, with the sole aim of enabling the composition of the respective assembly and board tables.”
According to JPP, Chega is resorting to “this type of gossip that means nothing to the citizen” and “suffers from excessive jealousy, as it is purely a party of protest and clamor.”
“To a Madeiran party, a government, an alternative, and autonomous like JPP, which is gaining in public confidence, a democratic position of responsibility is required,” the JPP note stated.
