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President of the Republic dissolved Legislative Assembly of Madeira Autonomous Region and set elections for 29 March

The President of the Republic dissolved the Legislative Assembly of Madeira Autonomous Region and set the regional elections to be held on 29 March next.

The decision was announced by the Head of the President’s Civil Household, Dr. José Manuel Nunes Liberato.

Following is the text of the communiqué:

“On 12 January instant the President of Madeira’s Regional Government presented his resignation to the Representative of the Republic, which, in legal terms, implied the resignation of the Regional Government.

Following this resignation, the Representative of the Republic contacted the Region’s political factions and arrived at the conclusion, in a report conveyed to the President of the Republic, that the formation of a new Government was not possible.

In constitutional and legal terms, the President of the Republic heard the views of the political parties represented in the Legislative Assembly of the Madeira Autonomous Region. All the parties heard expressed their views in favour of the dissolution of the Regional Parliament and that early elections should be held.

Later, the President of the Republic called a meeting of the Council of State which unanimously expressed its agreement with the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly of the Madeira Autonomous Region.

After analysing the political situation deriving from the resignation of the Regional Government and, considering the unfeasibility of forming a new Government in the current parliamentary environment, the President of the Republic decided to dissolve the Legislative Assembly of the Madeira Autonomous Region and to set the elections to be held on 29 March next.

The current Regional Government will continue in office until the empowerment of the new Government but, due to imperative constitutional and legal reasons, will be limited to the practise of strictly necessary actions required to ensure the management of the Region’s public activities.

The President of the Republic appeals that this electoral act, as well as its preceding campaign will be handled with tranquillity and decorum, and that the democratic debate amongst the several political factions is an example of pluralism and an opportunity for clarifying all the people of Madeira as to their future.”