The deputy elected by the Madeira constituency has announced, through a communiqué, that he has sent a letter to José Pedro Aguiar-Branco emphasizing the need for the event, to be celebrated in 2026, to be marked with “dignity and recognition” in the Assembly of the Republic.
Filipe Sousa also proposes that former presidents of the regional governments of Madeira and the Azores – Alberto João Jardim, Mota Amaral (PSD), and Carlos César (PS) – be invited to speak at this solemn session, “providing a living testimony to the construction and consolidation of the autonomous regime in Portugal.”
“The regional autonomies were born from the legitimate desire of the Madeira and Azores people to assert their identity and govern according to their specific realities, without breaking with the unity of the State,” states the JPP deputy, highlighting that the autonomies are “a major expression of Portugal’s democratic maturity.”
Filipe Sousa argues that the autonomies do not belong to any party but to the people of Madeira and the Azores, asserting that Alberto João Jardim played a “historic role” and made “a decisive contribution to the affirmation of autonomy, the defense of regional identity, and the exercise of active and free citizenship.”
Alberto João Jardim led PSD/Madeira and the Regional Government from 1978 to 2015, always with an absolute majority, being succeeded by Miguel Albuquerque as president of the regional party structure and the executive.
“A State that is confident in itself does not fear the strengthening of regional autonomies; on the contrary, it recognizes in them its own strength and the maturity of its democracy,” emphasizes Filipe Sousa. He notes that with this proposal, the JPP aims to “highlight the autonomous journey and honor the protagonists” who gave “life and strength” to the project of “self-government and insular dignity,” in a celebration that “unites the country around its diversity and cohesion.”
The President of the Assembly of the Republic, currently visiting the Autonomous Region of Madeira, commented today that autonomy is part of the country’s democratic history, considering it a “national value that we should celebrate not only in the regional dimension but also in Lisbon, at the national level.”
During the Monday session, marking the start of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Madeira’s Autonomy in the main hall of the Regional Legislative Assembly, Aguiar-Branco also emphasized that the “worst mistake” is to regard autonomy as merely a regional celebration, stressing that it should be brought to the political center of the country.
“In 2026, we must indeed celebrate the 50th anniversary of autonomy with the importance it deserves. Celebrate here in this Assembly, in the Azores, but also in Lisbon, especially in Lisbon,” he declared.
