Commenting on the projection of the results of the early regional elections, on RTP-Madeira, the social democrat defended that "Madeira is above parties and needs stability".

Questioned about the possibility of forming a minority government, Alberto João Jardim replied: "Madeira cannot keep playing at the government falling."

The option for a minority government "can" happen, "but it will not last long", he anticipated, warning of the "enormous repercussions" of this solution on "market confidence".

According to the former Madeiran leader, the PSD's result -- which, according to the projection, won the regional elections, with 33% to 38% of the votes (between 16 and 21 seats), failing to achieve an absolute majority - benefited from the "good economic and employment situation" in the region, the "quality of life" on the island and the fact that "Madeirans do not take many risks".

In addition, he said, "the PS had a very weak campaign".

Against it, the PSD -- which has always governed in the archipelago and won 11 elections with an absolute majority, between 1976 and 2015 -- had "what happened internally", he stressed.

Today's early elections take place 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 made a defendant in a process in which suspicions of corruption are being investigated.

Alberto João Jardim also said that he would not like to see "neither the far right nor the far left in government".

Speaking specifically about Chega, he stressed that this party should only be used by the PSD "unless there is no other solution".

The early regional legislative elections in Madeira took place today, in a poll in which more than 254 thousand voters are called to vote and 14 candidacies are presented to form a new parliament and a new government.

At stake in the elections, with a single constituency, are 47 seats in the Regional Legislative Assembly and, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Administration, 254,522 voters are registered to vote, of which 249,075 on the island of Madeira and 5,447 on the island of Porto Santo.

The 292 polling stations distributed in the 54 parishes of the 11 municipalities of the archipelago will be open between 8 am and 7 pm.

In the running are a coalition and 13 single parties. In relation to the 2023 regional elections, the only difference in terms of competing parties is the fact that the PSD and CDS-PP (who have governed together in the last two legislatures) are running on separate lists, when last year they went to the polls in a coalition.

In the last legislature, the Legislative Assembly of Madeira had twenty representatives from the PSD, eleven from the PS, five from the JPP, four from the CH and three from the CDS-PP. CDU, BE, PAN and IL each held one seat.

Read Also: Chega reaffirms that "it is out of the question" a post-election agreement with PSD (Portuguese version)