"We believe that it is possible to build an alternative on the left, an alternative governance program for Madeira, but involving all left-wing parties, and not just one or two," said the candidate in an electoral campaign initiative in the city center of Machico, in the far east of the island of Madeira. Roberto Almada added that "these conversations will have to happen if the parliamentary geometry indicates that it is possible to create this majority on the left." The top candidate for the early regional elections on May 26th stressed that "there is no political alternative without strengthening the Left Bloc, without more Left Bloc deputies." He also added that these elected officials will be the ones who will "force" "this alternative to be a real alternative and not a mere political alternation" in the region. Roberto Almada pointed out that the people of Madeira "speak of the need for change" because they are "very ashamed" of the situation resulting from the judicial investigation that led to the indictment of the presidents of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, and the Funchal City Council, Pedro Calado. "Madeira and the people of Madeira seem to have woken up to a reality that the Left Bloc has been denouncing for so long," said the candidate, who was the coordinator of the Left Bloc and a deputy in the regional parliament, recalling that since 1976 the party has been denouncing "dangerous connections between economic groups and regional power." "But it seems that the people of Madeira have now realized that something is wrong in the kingdom of Madeira and, from that point of view, there is a desire for change that is expressed by the people," he added. Almada reiterated that "a political change must have a new alternative and not a mere alternation" that will not be possible without strengthening the Left Bloc. Asked about today's statements by the President of the Regional Government and leader of the PSD/Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, who described the formation of a left-wing "guterres" in the region as a "danger," the candidate said he believes that these statements show that the Madeiran social-democratic leader "is afraid of democracy." "We are not afraid of democracy. There are no risks. The risk is for him [Miguel Albuquerque], if the PSD stops being the government in the region. We do not view power and political positions in a personalized way. What matters is the well-being of the people," he argued. In his view, "at this moment, this Regional Government is not responding to the problems that people have," namely the lack of housing, the risk of poverty and "so many social ills that Madeira suffers from." Roberto Almada stressed that "this model [of PSD governance] is exhausted and only a change, with a vote for the Left Bloc, will force this change to take place," reaffirming "that it is possible to have an alternative government." "Therefore, the risks in democracy exist, but we cannot be afraid of democracy," he concluded. The Madeira legislative elections will take place with 14 candidacies competing for the 47 seats in the regional parliament, in a single electoral district: ADN, Left Bloc, PS, Livre, IL, RIR, CDU (PCP/PEV), Chega, CDS-PP, MPT, PSD, PAN, PTP and JPP. The early elections take place eight months after the most recent regional legislative elections, after the President of the Republic dissolved the Madeiran parliament, following the political crisis triggered in January, when the leader of the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP), Miguel Albuquerque, was indicted in a process in which suspicions of corruption are being investigated. In September 2023, the PSD/CDS coalition won without an absolute majority and elected 23 deputies. The PS won 11, the JPP five, Chega four, while the CDU, the IL, the PAN (which signed an agreement of parliamentary incidence with the social democrats) and the Left Bloc obtained one mandate each. Read Also: Madeira. IL defends the use of the private and social sectors to reduce waiting (Portuguese version)