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The master of Madeira obtains “his narrowest victory.” For the first time, reportsDiário de Notícias, Alberto João Jardim, who has ruled the island since 1978, failed to gain an absolute majority of votes, but managed to preserve a majority of seats in the autonomous region’s parliament — a condition that he himself had imposed for not tendering his resignation.
The vote was closely followed in Portugal, both because the popular and populist Jardim is a controversial figure, and because Madeira’s financial situation is viewed as a cause for concern. Over the last few months, a debt of 6 billion euros, which Jardim had kept secret from the public until last summer, has added to pressure on Portugal. As the weekly Visão recently remarked, “Today, Madeira is for Portugal what Greece is for Europe.” However, “it remains to be seen if Portugal will adopt deal with Madeira, in the same way that Finland dealt with Greece": by imposing conditions in return for aid.
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