Following a meeting with the President of the Republic at the Palácio de Belém, which lasted less than an hour, Filipe Sousa, the sole deputy of the Juntos Pelo Povo party, stated that the party will not close the door on a process of constitutional revision. He advocated for the “strengthening of autonomous powers” and the abolition of the position of Representative of the Republic in the Autonomous Regions.
“We already have enough political maturity and democracy for the state to recognize once and for all that we are islanders, with all the constraints involved, but we don’t need anyone to watch over us,” Sousa declared, referring to the Representatives of the Republic as “police officers.”
In this meeting with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Madeira-based party, which is entering parliament for the first time this term, also advocated for a “new administrative organization of the country,” a proposal to which the President reportedly reacted with satisfaction, according to Filipe Sousa.
The party’s sole deputy acknowledged that JPP’s ability to influence is “still limited,” but emphasized their mission of highlighting how “the centralism of Lisbon does not benefit” the autonomous regions.
The Madeira native also criticized the Communist Party for announcing its intention to present a motion of rejection against the next government, calling this decision by the communists “shooting themselves in the foot.”
Filipe Sousa assured that the party will not obstruct the future government and aims to “create points of dialogue, tolerance, and proximity,” positioning himself as a deputy for the entire country, not just for Madeira.
After being elected in Madeira, he noted having already reached out to Douro wine producers regarding issues in the sector. He committed to visiting Peso da Régua shortly after taking office to raise awareness of the region’s issues.
“If the wine dies on the vine, and if the country allows the importation of Spanish brandy for the production of Portuguese wine, something is wrong,” he lamented.
Born from a citizens’ movement in Madeira, JPP became the first party headquartered outside Lisbon to elect a deputy to the Portuguese parliament on May 18.
The Juntos Pelo Povo (JPP) party competed for the fifth consecutive time in national legislative elections since its founding in 2015. Their expectations were realized with the election of Filipe Sousa, buoyed by the results achieved in March in Madeira.
Filipe Sousa led the party’s list in Madeira, which elects six deputies to the Assembly of the Republic, and secured his position with 12.32% of the archipelago’s votes.
