Célia Pessegueiro made history as the first woman to lead JS/Madeira, serving from 2002 to 2008, before becoming the first Socialist to defeat the long-standing PSD administration in Ponta do Sol, where she has been mayor since the 2017 local elections.
With extensive political experience, Pessegueiro served as a legislator in the Madeira Regional Assembly between 2004 and 2007, a municipal councilor in Ponta do Sol, and a member of the advisory council of the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of Madeira in 2018.
Born in 1980, Pessegueiro graduated from the University of Madeira with a degree in Classical and Portuguese Languages and Literature. An organizer of cultural events, she has publicly defined her primary goals for a new municipal cycle, emphasizing “continuity, stability, and sustainable investment.”
In public statements, Célia Pessegueiro affirmed her team is “better prepared than ever to continue this path with stability, with accurate accounting, with a competent team, and with a clear vision for the future of the municipality.”
Her outlined goals include completing the basic sanitation network in underserved areas with direct family support for connections, a plan to restore 20% of water networks annually, and establishing a Social and Business Incubator in Canhas to support young entrepreneurs and innovative projects with local impact.
Her plans also involve promoting a new sports pavilion in Madalena do Mar, revitalizing its seafront, creating a municipal housing emergency fund and parking spaces, reinforcing a program to rehabilitate degraded houses, and focusing on local traditional arts.
Besides Pessegueiro’s candidacy, the only other announced candidate in the constituency is Rui Marques (PSD), who previously led Ponta do Sol’s municipal council for three terms until Pessegueiro’s victory in 2017.
The municipal council comprises three PS members and two from PSD.
According to 2024 data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), over 8,900 people reside in Ponta do Sol, distributed across three parishes (Ponta do Sol, Madalena do Mar, and Canhas), covering approximately 28 square kilometers.
In the last local elections on September 26, 2021, the PSD/CDS-PP coalition won in three of Madeira’s 11 municipalities: Funchal, São Vicente, and Porto Santo.
The PSD won separately in Câmara de Lobos and Calheta, while the CDS-PP independently secured a victory in Santana.
The PS clinched the majority in Porto Moniz, Machico, and Ponta do Sol, while JPP retained leadership in Santa Cruz.
In Ribeira Brava, the Ribeira Brava Primeiro movement, supported by social democrats and centrists, emerged victorious.
