Regional election in Madeira, 26 May 2024

In late January 2024, Madeiran regional president Miguel Albuquerque resigned from office after corruption investigations were launched against him and several of his closest political allies and business partners. Albuquerque’s center-right PSD (EPP), which has governed the region uninterruptedly since 1976, had been forced into the first coalition government in its recent history following the September 2023 election, forging a government  agreement with the small CDS-PP (EPP) with parliamentary support from environmentalist PAN (Greens/EFA).  Following Albuquerque’s resignation, and despite the Madeiran executive’s willingness to form a new cabinet, Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a former PSD member himself, called snap regional elections for the end of May.

The May 2024 election brought about little change compared to the election held eight months earlier. Albuquerque’s PSD came out on top with 36.1% of the vote and 19 seats (-1), followed by a stable PS (S&D) at 21.3% and 11 seats. Running on a centrist platform, the regional party Together for the People (JPP, RE) significantly increased its vote and seat share with 16.9% (+5.9pp) and 9 seats (+4). Nationalist Chega took 4 seats (=), the CDS-PP, 3 (-1), and the Liberal Initiative (IL, RE) and PAN, one seat each. The two radical left parties previously represented in parliament lost their only two seats. At 53.4%, turnout was largely unchanged compared to the previous election (+0.1pp).

After months of political uncertainty, Miguel Albuquerque managed to win a tight confidence vote to form a new PSD minority cabinet on July 4. Chega MPs played an instrumental role in the vote, with three of its four MPs abstaining while Albuquerque won by only one vote. However, on November 6, Chega successfully passed a motion of non-confidence against the new cabinet, which all opposition MPs supported. As a consequence, Rebelo de Sousa called for snap elections to be held again on March 23, 2025.

The data