"This work cannot [advance] and there is a guarantee from this candidacy that this work will not be viable, unlike parties that call themselves environmentalists and defend and affirm that it is an investment for our tourism in the Autonomous Region of Madeira", she said, in statements to the Lusa agency.

With the presence of the party's spokesperson Rui Tavares, the Livre candidacy went today to the Miradouro da Eira do Serrado, in the parish of Curral das Freiras, to talk about the cable car and adventure park project, which has since been suspended.

Marta Sofia highlighted the "unique natural landscape" of the site and said she did not believe that the work would go ahead, since an injunction is pending in court.

In the candidate's opinion, the priority of the Regional Government should be the construction of an alternative entry and exit route for that parish, located in the interior of the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, a long-standing demand of the population and "an electoral promise of decades".

Marta Sofia also pointed out that Curral das Freiras, a tourist attraction in the region, has routes that, within the scope of promoting sustainable tourism, "can and should be promoted".

To this end, it is necessary to maintain the land trails, invest in safety and information, she stressed, reinforcing that "it is not a cable car that will bring movement" to the parish.

In April, the executive director of the company responsible for the cable car system in Curral das Freiras, Nuno Freitas, expressed his conviction that the project will go ahead, despite having been suspended by the Regional Government. The executive is under management due to the political crisis that began in January, when the executive president, Miguel Albuquerque, was indicted in a legal proceeding and resigned.

In March, Madeira Skypark Adventure planned to start work in May, but later acknowledged that it would not be possible to meet this schedule.

"What I have felt is that in all the meetings we have had, not with all the parties, but with those who wanted to receive us, everyone understands the project today and none of them oppose it", said Nuno Freitas in April, when asked about the influence of the fall of the Madeiran executive and the early elections scheduled for May.

According to Madeira Skypark Adventure, the project involves a "totally private" investment of 47 million euros, with more than 8.5 million euros already invested.

The contract is valid for 50 years, from the start of the operation, and aims to build and maintain a cable car system, an adventure and nature interpretation park and a 'zip line' ('slide'), including support and catering facilities.

It has motivated opposition from environmental associations and opposition party forces, mainly due to its environmental impact.

Livre ran for the first time in the regional elections in September 2023, but failed to win any seats, with 0.65% of the votes.

The early legislative elections in Madeira will take place on 26 May, with 14 candidates 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 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 for parliamentary action with the Social Democrats) and BE each won one seat.

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