"In the high areas of Funchal, there are some places that do not have basic sanitation and where sewage continues to run in the open, which concerns us, as it is also a public health problem, an environmental problem, and for many years both the City Council and the Regional Government have promised that they will intervene in that area and always end up forgetting the high areas", said the head of the Chega list for the regional elections on 26 May, Miguel Castro.

On the sixth day of the electoral campaign, the Chega caravan had as its meeting point the Colégio do Marítimo, which is part of the Club Sport Marítimo Sports Complex, in the parish of Santo António, where just over a dozen party members and supporters gathered at 5:00 pm, waiting until almost 6:00 pm for the arrival of the head of the list, who ended up not arriving, having made statements to the Lusa agency by telephone.

Despite the absence of Miguel Castro, the Chega entourage took advantage of the waiting time to approach parents who were picking up their children from school and even motorists who were driving on the road in front, literally throwing party t-shirts into cars and trucks.

"There is a greater concentration of residents in the parish there, so we thought it would be good to concentrate there, although, but then the group, the team that is on the ground, will leave that area and will go through other areas of the parish", explained the head of the Chega list.

The parish of Santo António is one of the most populous in the municipality of Funchal and is located just over three kilometres from the city centre, but, according to the Chega candidate, despite this proximity, "its highest areas still lack public infrastructures that do not exist", namely in terms of basic sanitation.

"We believe that the population of the high areas deserves the same treatment as the populations that live in the noblest areas, because we do not distinguish between citizens, and it is necessary, once and for all, to look at these areas with greater sensitivity, because the orography of the island, in itself, is not easy for these people, let alone if they are not served with the public services to which they are entitled", claimed Miguel Castro.

Among the affected areas, the head of the Chega list pointed out Lombo dos Aguiares, Laranjal and the high areas of São Roque and Alegria, stating that "they are densely populated as you can see with the naked eye", with "some precarious constructions" and with the lack of public infrastructures, "which should obviously be transversal to all citizens".

"These situations are not resolved because there is no political will, because they are not difficult situations to resolve. There has to be an intervention. It is not possible to look at these areas as if they were a little hidden from the tourist [...], making it so that there is not a greater commitment from those who govern, because both the Funchal City Council and the Regional Government itself, through its areas of basic sanitation and road infrastructures, could very well intervene in these areas", he reinforced.

The Madeira legislative elections will take place on 26 May, with 14 candidacies competing for the 47 seats in the regional parliament, in a single electoral constituency: ADN, BE, PS, Livre, IL, RIR, CDU (PCP/PEV), Chega, CDS-PP, MPT, PSD, PAN, PTP and JPP.

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, IL, PAN (which signed an agreement of parliamentary incidence with the Social Democrats) and the BE obtained one mandate each.

Read Also: Elections/Madeira. CDU appeals for a vote that will not be betrayed or transferred (Portuguese version)