"I think that, at this moment, the European elections are off the political agenda until next Sunday [the 26th]. I think that, at this moment, all political forces are focused on the regional elections," said the social-democratic official to journalists, on the sidelines of an initiative as head of the executive at the Andorinha football field, on the outskirts of Funchal.

Albuquerque -- who is also the head of the PSD's list for the regional elections and was officially campaigning in another initiative - commented on the decision of the National Elections Commission (CNE), released on Friday, to admit that, exceptionally, there may be campaign actions for the European elections on the eve and on the day of the elections in Madeira, as long as they occur outside the archipelago and do not condition the "formation of the will" of the Madeirans.

The CNE states that, as a general rule, "similar to what has always happened, on the eve and on the day of the regional election, until the closing of the polls, no propaganda actions are allowed anywhere in the national territory".

The official campaign period for the European elections of June 9th runs from May 27th to June 7th, starting the day after the archipelago's legislative elections.

"Therefore, regardless of what the CNE thinks or does not think, no one will campaign for the European elections until Sunday [May 26th]," stressed Miguel Albuquerque.

Questioned about the presence today, in Madeira, of the head of the Socialist list for the European elections, Marta Temido, and the national leader of the PS, Pedro Nuno Santos, in campaign initiatives, the head of the Madeiran executive and president of the regional PSD considered it to be "normal" and a "tradition" in the largest opposition party in the archipelago (it holds 11 of the 47 seats in parliament).

"This is normal in the PS. They always need walkers and crutches to campaign. They always bring people from Lisbon, it is the tradition of the PS, they cannot eat the soup alone, they always need someone to come here to teach the Madeirans how to campaign. They are not candidates, they always come here, it is the tradition," he said.

According to Albuquerque, this is "also one of the reasons" why the national leader of the party, Luís Montenegro, is not travelling to Madeira during the campaign, reinforcing: "It is also not necessary."

In the Madeira legislative elections, there are 14 candidacies competing for the 47 seats in the regional parliament, in a single electoral district: ADN, BE, PS, Livre, IL, RIR, CDU (PCP/PEV), Chega, CDS-PP, MPT, PSD, PAN, PTP and JPP.

The early elections occur eight months after the most recent regional legislative elections, after the President of the Republic dissolved the Madeiran parliament, following the political crisis triggered in January, when Albuquerque was named a defendant in a process in which suspicions of corruption are being investigated.

The executive has been under management since then.

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