"Chega will run in the elections alone and will not make any agreements, neither before nor after the elections, with any political force", said the party's top candidate, Miguel Castro, in an interview with the Lusa agency, and then reinforced: "Our agreement and our commitment have to be with the citizens and we have to respect, in the post-election scenario, what the citizens choose."

The candidate, also leader of Chega/Madeira and of the parliamentary group in the region, said that the goal is to grow and, on the other hand, argued that the force with the most votes in the early elections of May 26 should form a government.

"I think it is very legitimate in a democracy, if Miguel Albuquerque [PSD] has more votes, to form a government. Now, [...] he will not form a government with Chega's votes", he said.

Miguel Castro considers that the outgoing president of the PSD/CDS-PP Regional Government and top candidate of the social democrats will have to "learn to live in a democracy" and seek understandings in parliament if he fails to form a majority government.

"I say the same thing, and let it be recorded, about Paulo Cafôfo. If Paulo Cafôfo is the candidate with the most votes, may he also have the courage to do the same thing. May he govern, even if he does not have a majority, if he is the party with the most votes, and may he come to the house of democracy to negotiate with the parties", he said, referring to the leader and top candidate of the PS of the archipelago, the largest party in the regional opposition.

The Chega candidate reiterated that he is not available for governance agreements with anyone, but said that the party is fully available for parliamentary debates.

"We will not do favours or errands for anyone", he warned.

Miguel Castro, who is 51 years old (born on January 2, 1973) and is a civil servant in the environment sector, believes that some parties may benefit, in terms of electoral results, from the political crisis that led to the fall of the Regional Government, following the process that investigates suspicions of corruption in Madeira and in which Albuquerque is a defendant.

"It is obvious that these situations will privilege the parties that oppose all this and that ask the people to give them the legitimacy to make democracy and the exercise of governance more transparent", he said, adding: "The governors must know that when they are elected by the people, they go there to serve the community, not to serve themselves."

The top candidate, who is a native of Porto Santo but lives in Funchal, explained that, therefore, among the 12 main proposals of the party's electoral program, the fight against corruption stands out.

"We believe that the fight against corruption, especially in the exercise of politics, should be a transversal banner for all parties that are democratically elected, because it is necessary to value not only the citizens, but also the politicians", he said, stressing that "politicians, to be once again believed and taken seriously, have to exercise a transparent governance".

The reinforcement of autonomy, the defense of the Madeiran cultural identity, the valorization of the primary sector and the dignification of health are other proposals of Chega, as well as the reinforcement of social cohesion, the valorization of the family, the defense of the environment and the reinforcement of security and valorization of the security forces.

Miguel Castro also highlighted the reform of transport and air and sea connections, recalling that Madeira and the Azores do not have a passenger sea connection to the mainland, although this is a responsibility of the Government of the Republic.

"But there must be a government in the region that has the capacity to demand this sea connection from the Republic", he said.

The revitalization of the regional economy to mitigate the dependence on tourism and the valorization of the education sector are also among the main proposals that the candidacy will defend during the electoral campaign that begins on Sunday.

Basílio Miguel da Câmara Castro, who was once a member of the PSD, joined Chega in 2019 and has been president of the regional political commission since 2022. In the legislative elections of September 23, 2023, the party was the fourth most voted and elected four deputies, obtaining 12,029 votes (9.13%), in a universe of 135,446 voters.

The early elections of May 26 take place eight months after the most recent regional legislative 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) was charged in a process in which suspicions of corruption are being investigated.

In the last two terms, Albuquerque's PSD (which has presided over the executive since 2015) failed to obtain an absolute majority, leading the social democrats to form a coalition with the CDS (2019) and, later, an agreement of parliamentary incidence with the PAN (2023).

Read Also: From "betrayal" to 'passion'. The last days (and controversies) of Marcelo (Portuguese version)