"We have great respect for the people of Madeira, and therefore, with this great respect, it does not make much sense to comment on staging and theatrical moments that have no possibility of bringing anything new to the political landscape," said Rui Rocha at the entrance to a dinner-rally in Lisbon, on what is the first day of the official campaign for the European elections of June 9.

The Liberal leader also said that if the PS and JPP "wanted to do a staging, they could have also invited the BE and the PCP because the result would be exactly the same".

The BE and PCP lost their parliamentary representation in the regional elections of Madeira, which took place on Sunday.

This "joint government solution" has, in Rui Rocha's opinion, no viability or political support.

"It makes no sense to be making great comments about something that does not exist," he added.

The PS and JPP will present to the representative of the Republic in Madeira "a joint government solution" in the archipelago, the regional structures of the parties announced today, which add up to 20 deputies, short of the 24 necessary for an absolute majority.

In a joint press conference in Funchal, without the right to questions from journalists, the leader of the PS/Madeira, Paulo Cafôfo, announced that the commitment reached today with the JPP also involves "not making viable any government solution presented by the PSD".

On Sunday, Miguel Albuquerque's PSD (president of the Madeiran executive since 2015) once again won the regional elections and elected 19 deputies, stating that it was available to ensure a "government of stability", but the PS considered that there was room to build an alternative.

The socialists, the main opposition force, maintained the 11 parliamentary seats of the previous term and the JPP, the third political force in the region, increased its bench from five to nine members.

Chega elected four deputies, CDS-PP two and IL and PAN one deputy each.

The right - PSD, Chega, CDS and IL - manages to add up to 26 seats, to which PAN could still be added, but the parties have declared that they have reservations about understandings with the social democrats.

Read Also: Madeira? "The defeated in the elections are focused on geringonçar" (Portuguese version)