“It was a very difficult year for the CDS. We faced many adversities. Some who were with us shifted to other sides (…), but the CDS did not end; it has a presence in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira and in the Regional Government,” said the Madeira centrist leader at the party’s Christmas dinner.
José Manuel Rodrigues stated that the CDS-PP “is here to stay, to strengthen, and to be a great party in Madeira,” emphasizing the difficult regional elections held in March this year, in which they managed to maintain a deputy in the Madeiran parliament and secure a coalition with the PSD, which allowed them to hold the position of Regional Secretary for the Economy in the government led by Miguel Albuquerque.
“We managed to survive, and here we are,” he reinforced, also mentioning the result obtained in the last local elections, in which the party “proved its vitality.”
“The CDS renewed its victory in the Santana City Council and met all objectives, with an even more expressive vote than four years ago,” he highlighted, adding that the party has gone on to govern two more parish councils in this northern municipality of Madeira (S.Jorge and Faial), totaling six of these local authorities.
They also managed to retain the Fajã de Ovelha (Calheta) council and had “the pleasant surprise, in coalition with the PSD, which entrusted the thorny mission to the CDS,” of winning the Ponta do Sol parish, now presided over by centrist Aníbal Garanito.
Rodrigues emphasized that the CDS-PP “elected more than 100 local officials in the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo,” expressing the opinion that “it is from local power that it will once again become a great party.”
The insular leader of the CDS-PP mentioned the Regional Budget for 2026, which is discussed next week in the Madeira Assembly, highlighting that it includes four proposals from the party that “were not easy to negotiate” with the PSD, the coalition partner.
He stated that the party’s goal was a substantial increase in the regional minimum wage to 1,000 euros, but it will be set at 980 euros, representing an increase of 65 euros from this year.
Another demanded measure, aimed at the middle class, was a 30% reduction in all IRS (Personal Income Tax) brackets, which would mean “an additional salary in each person’s annual income.”
The reduction of VAT from 5% to 4% on essential products is another CDS-PP demand, and they will continue “to fight to achieve two other goals,” such as negotiating a reference salary for young graduates entering the job market equivalent to what is practiced in the public sector, at a minimum of 1,250 euros.
“The fourth banner, which is listed but not yet realized in the Regional Budget, which we want to advance is the insularity subsidy of 680 euros, paid in March to public employees, to also be paid to employees of private companies and Private Social Solidarity Institutions,” he indicated.
José Manuel Rodrigues concluded his speech by expressing solidarity with the many thousands of Madeirans and Portuguese descendants in Venezuela who are unable to reunite with their families this Christmas season, “going through particularly difficult times” and “not knowing what their future will be.”
“It is necessary to restore democracy to Venezuela so that it once again becomes a democratic state of law, that respects the rights, freedoms, and guarantees of citizens, where there are no political prisoners, persecutions, and no one is harassed just because they think differently from those in power,” he argued.
