“This is a moment that marks the beginning of a new cycle for the Socialist Party,” he emphasized, highlighting the significance for the new leadership of PS/Madeira to have “space and time” to implement and consolidate its project.
Paulo Cafôfo, speaking after the Regional Commission meeting held at the party headquarters in Funchal, emphasized the importance of members supporting the new leadership “with loyalty,” regardless of differences.
“More than unity, I believe the Socialist Party needs a team spirit, and I say a team spirit because within a team there can be people with divergent and different opinions, but we must work as a team with the same goals and a greater goal: to win,” he argued.
The outgoing president of PS/Madeira warned that the new leadership needs time to consolidate the project, mobilize members, attract new members, and develop projects with civil society.
“A time that I did not have because I expected four years and was instead faced with several elections in quick succession,” he stated.
Paulo Cafôfo confirmed his departure from the leadership of the regional PS structure on the night of October 12, following the announcement of the results of the municipal elections in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
The socialists lost control of the Ponta do Sol Municipal Council, one of the three they led, to the PSD/CDS-PP coalition, and also lost representation in the council of four municipalities, remaining only in the governments of Machico and Porto Moniz.
In Funchal, Madeira’s main municipality, the PS went from five councilors to one, in an executive composed of 11 members, with six elected from PSD/CDS-PP, two from JPP, two from Chega, and one socialist.
On October 14, socialist Ricardo Franco, former president of Machico Municipal Council, who completed his third term, announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Madeiran socialists at a press conference, stating that the party will only have a future when it unites and banishes “the culture of hate and internal division.”
Today, Célia Pessegueiro, who led the Ponta do Sol Municipal Council since 2017, confirmed during the Regional Commission meeting that she will prepare a candidacy for the presidency of the regional structure of the PS.
