Of the 13 parties and one coalition that submitted candidate lists to the Funchal Court, the campaign budgets of the Left Bloc (BE), Socialist Party (PS), Free (L), Liberal Initiative (IL), React, Include, Recycle (RIR), CDU -- Democratic Unitarian Coalition (PCP/PEV), Chega (CH), CDS -- Popular Party (CDS-PP), Earth Party (MPT), Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD), People-Animals-Nature (PAN), Portuguese Labour Party (PTP), and Together for the People (JPP) have been published on the website of the Entity for Accounts and Political Financing (ECFP) since April 16.

According to the website of the Entity for Accounts and Political Financing, the National Democratic Alternative (ADN), which is the first political force on the ballot, did not submit a budget, but the party's lead candidate, Miguel Pita, told Lusa that the document will be submitted today, indicating that the amount is 10,000 euros.

The PSD is the party that plans to spend the most money on the election campaign, which runs from May 14 to 24, with a budget of 340,000 euros, of which 250,000 comes from state subsidies and 90,000 from contributions from political parties.

The largest slice of the Social Democrats' budget -- 90,000 euros -- will be channeled into advertising, print and digital communication, followed by structures, posters and screens (75,000), gifts and other offerings (75,000), and rallies and shows (60,000).

According to the budgets available on the ECFP website, the PS is the second party to invest the most in the campaign -- 150,000 euros, all of which comes from state subsidies -- channeling the largest slice (75,000) to rallies and shows.

This is followed by the CDS-PP, with an expected expenditure of 100,000 euros, of which 25,000 is for structures, posters and screens.

The JPP plans to spend 96,100 euros on the campaign, with the largest slice (20,000) going to structures, posters and screens.

The CDU is the fifth political force with the highest budget (80,000 euros), followed by the IL (60,000), the BE (42,720), the PAN (30,358.34), the Chega (25,000), the Livre (10,000), the PTP (5,000) and the RIR (500).

The MPT does not expect to spend any money, as was the case in the 2019 and 2023 elections.

In the September 2023 regional elections, two coalitions ran - PSD/CDS-PP and CDU (PCP/PEV) -- and 11 other parties: PTP, JPP, BE, PS, Chega, RIR, MPT, ADN, PAN, Livre and IL, which presented an overall forecast of campaign spending in the order of 1,133,816.95 euros.

The PS presented the highest amount (400 thousand euros), while the PSD and CDS-PP, which ran together that year, aimed for 380 thousand euros.

Of the 47 mandates allocated in the 2023 elections, the PSD/CDS-PP coalition won 23 deputies, the PS elected 11, the JPP five and the Chega four, while the CDU, IL, PAN and BE each elected one deputy.

The early elections on May 26 come eight months after the most recent regional elections, after the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, dissolved the Madeiran parliament, following the political crisis triggered in January, when the leader of the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP), Miguel Albuquerque, was named a defendant in a case investigating suspicions of corruption.

Albuquerque subsequently resigned, leading to the fall of the government.

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