"I believe it will be possible to reach some form of understanding, and if it is without Miguel Albuquerque and without these protagonists, it will even be possible to reach a broader understanding, in four years. Not with these protagonists", he said.

André Ventura was speaking to journalists at the party's national headquarters in Lisbon, following the announcement of the results of the early regional legislative elections in Madeira, which the PSD won, failing by five deputies to obtain an absolute majority.

"Miguel Albuquerque is not in a position to remain at the head of the regional government", he argued, stating that if "the PSD decides to change its nomination for president of the regional government, a whole negotiation process could begin".

The Chega president said he had given a "clear indication" to the Chega/Madeira structure that "there are no agreements with Miguel Albuquerque".

"There is no possibility of a governance agreement with Miguel Albuquerque", he insisted, arguing that "the PSD has to change the cycle and understand that the result of these elections was to change the cycle" and "Chega will be in favour of stability, but will not accept giving up its principles".

The Chega leader did not rule out an approach at a level other than a government agreement, including a parliamentary incidence agreement. André Ventura considered it "very unlikely", but said he wanted to prevent the region from being "pushed into elections every three months".

Ventura appealed to the PSD's "common sense" to propose a team that would pave the way for a "parliamentary consensus that would allow for a scenario of budgetary and political stability over the next four years".

"I appeal to Luís Montenegro and Miguel Albuquerque to understand that this political cycle has to be changed. The country cannot go on having elections every three or four months, but for that it is not enough to blackmail or pressure, it is really necessary to respect integrity, fight against corruption and be firm in its principles. If that is the scenario, we will be here, if not, do not count on us", he said.

Another of Chega's conditions will be an audit of the region's accounts and also that the new regional government have an office dedicated to combating corruption.

Regarding the election results, André Ventura highlighted that "Chega increased its number of votes", despite maintaining the same number of deputies in the regional parliament (four) and said that Miguel Albuquerque's victory "was not the result" that the party wanted.

The Chega president also stressed the "centrality" that his party "acquires in regional political life", indicating that "no natural majority will be formed on the right without the presence of Chega".

"Chega becomes the pivot and the decisive and key element of governance in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, being able to influence its governance in favour of the people of Madeira and Porto Santo, in the fierce and determined fight against corruption, cronyism and the promiscuous connections between the State, companies and businesses that have been destroying the lives of our citizens for decades", he argued.

The Chega leader also referred to "the departure of the extreme left from the regional parliament", since "both the BE and the CDU are out", having failed to elect any deputies. In the last regional elections, the BE and the CDU each won one deputy.

"In this sense, there is a victory that is regional and national, which is to permanently remove the extreme left from our institutions", he argued.

The PSD today won the early regional legislative elections in Madeira, falling short of an absolute majority by five deputies, with all parishes counted, according to provisional official data.

According to information provided by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, the Social Democrats obtained 36.13% of the votes and 19 seats in the regional parliament, which consists of a total of 47 deputies.

In second place, the PS obtained 11 elected representatives, followed by the JPP with nine, Chega with four, the CDS-PP with two, and the IL and the PAN with one deputy each. The BE and the CDU are leaving the Legislative Assembly, in relation to the previous composition.

An absolute majority requires 24 seats.

[News updated at 23:19]

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