Madeira News Blog

(8th June). The main news headline in today’s Diário : ‘Orange Card To Sócrates – The PSD won unexpectedly the Europeans, benefiting from reduced voting for the PS’. Extending the voting pattern from yesterday’s European election, the Diário feels the Prime Minister José Sócrates of Portugal, prior to national elections later this year, is being shown an orange warning card by the voters (quite clever I thought!).

‘MADEIRA – The Madeiran voters clearly bet on the social democrats (PSD) candidates list, helping to confirm the position of Nuno Teixeira. The socialists (PS) fell to half of 2004, and their candidate Emanuel Jardim Fernandes stays here’. PSD here collected 52.5% of the vote.

‘PORTUGAL – In the last 2 months no one believed that the PSD would manage top placing, as achieved yesterday. A crisis and the socialist government are factors in this turnaround, but also there is a triumph called Paulo Rangel’. Nationally, PSD collected 31.7% of the vote, ‘and won it’s first European election in 20 years with significant numbers’.

59.8% of the eligible voters on Madeira opted to spend their Sunday elsewhere, and definitely not in the polling station, as a new record low turnout is recorded. Nationally 64% didn’t vote, compared to a European average of 56.9%.

‘Madeira Loses Deputy (MEP) In The European Parliament – Nuno Teixeira is the only representative for Madeira’. The new member will be the only direct link between Europe and Madeira, after the socialists (PS) didn’t get sufficient support to renew its place in Europe with the Madeiran candidate. Nuno is the 7th Madeiran to take the responsibility, and stated that his commitment is to "defend the interests of Madeira and of the Madeirans with the means available to him, speaking the truth". The losing PS candidate, Emanuel Jardim Fernandes, 10th place on his party list, saw just 14.7% of Madeirans vote for his party, half the amount it had in 2004 when the candidate was elected.

President of Madeira, Alberto João Jardim, said that the PSD can not let itself be "dazzled" with the victory in the European elections, arguing that "early indications at the national level indicate a strong concern about the government of the country (Portugal)". The leader of the PSD-M notes that it is "very serious in a democratic country that the two communist political forces together have exceeded the 20 percent mark at home". Despite the satisfaction for the "goals achieved, mission accomplished again, this is no time for euphoria because it was only the first round of a cycle of three elections," he said.

Voting day yesterday had plenty of coverage, and that was not just about the results. The president of one council was reprimanded for campaigning ‘at the urns’, after that was legally prohibited in any form after Friday. Over 250 complaints were made to CNE (the election monitoring body), with people having problems using the new all-in-one ‘citizens cards’ for voting, and other changes in the voting system meant people were turning up at the wrong polling stations. It was clear by 4pm yesterday that turnout was going to be even lower than the poor showing in the last elections. One voting station in São Martinho, three hours after opening had only had 3 voters come in. Young people were very noticeably absent. I think I have covered about 10 articles in one paragraph here, but it’s all water under the bridge now.

The full story for Madeira is : PSD(+PPD) 52.52% of the vote (1 place in Europe), PS 14.69%, CDS-PP 8.34%, PCP-PEV 6.65%, BE 5.44%. You can see a full breakdown in the Diário supplement today, which you can also see here online. ELECTION NEWS 2009

In the national picture, PSD took the most European seats (8) with 31.7% of the vote, followed by PS (7) with 26.6%. Left Block (BE) took 3 seats, with 10.7% of the vote, CDS-PP took 2 seats, also with 10.7%, and CDU 2 seats with 8.4%. In a geographical picture across Portugal, PSD dominated in 16 regions, PS in just two, and PCP in 3 southerly regions. Whilst the defeat of the PS was expected on Madeira, it came as a bit of a surprise on the Azores, where the PS have a fairly new absolute majority in regional government.

Thursday’s headline story : ‘Bad Treatment And Drugs Double On Madeira – In the first quarter of this year 192 cases of domestic violence were reported to the public prosecutor, double that in the same period last year. In drug trafficking, there are already 50 investigations up to March’. Funchal has the worse problem with 137 abuse cases. There were also double the number of drug investigations opened in the first quarter of 2009. It’s a long article full of statistics on drugs, domestic violence, driving crimes, and others. This link will give you a pie chart diagram for more information (in Portuguese of course) :  CRIME STATISTICS MARCH 2009

‘All-Nighter At The Door Of The Secretary – Around 40 farmers took drastic action to meet the application deadline for grants’. Accompanied by the days main photograph, showing 10 or more people, queueing outside the office of the Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources. People were sleeping outside in order to ensure they did not miss out on following the essential procedure to ensure they were entitled to agricultural subsidies. There were around 40 farmers waiting when the doors opened yesterday, and some will have to return today when the deadline expires, as the administration service will not be able to process all of them. What’s to blame for the problem you may wonder … it’s as simple as people leaving things to the last moment, having had since February to do what was needed. Since this program is dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture, which in turn must comply with EU regulations and deadlines, there is no possibility to extend the deadline.

Yesterday’s good news about the new health service website (SESARAM) is set to develop further, with administrators of the health service saying that next year it will be possible to actually make appointments on-line. At the new website launch, a spokesman said “the intention is to provide online services with strong added value for clients and employees”. The new website offers various services and useful information to users, such as visiting hours, support lines, and information about many pharmacies, health centres and hospitals. 

‘The Crisis Spreads : TRIAM suspends activity and the work of 26 employees, salaries are unpaid in five hotels, and the workers at the closed Savoy Hotel set-off for the fight’. The ‘handling’ contractor employed at Madeira Airport has confirmed it’s indefinite suspension, and is now waiting for instructions from it’s owners. It had already sacked 22 workers in 2008, and now fears are that the remaining 26 will go the same way. The Savoy story has already been covered this week, but the 99 workers have been advised not to negotiate exit deals with the company after the hotel closed it’s doors to customers.

In order to strengthen the ties established between the city of Funchal and Gibraltar, during the Second World War, which brought to Madeira a large community of Gibraltarians, the president of CMF (Funchal council), Miguel Albuquerque, and the Mayor of Gibraltar, signed a twinning agreement on Wednesday. With this initiative, various activities will gain momentum, involving municipal, civil, and public entities. The areas  included will be in economic cooperation and business, tourism, environmental and heritage matters, education, and promotion of cultural and sports events. Nice to see the Diário catching up with old news from madeira4u.

Onion Festival in Caniço - May 2009

It must seem like I am gunning for Pingo this week, but I just tell it as I see it. In truth I quite like shopping at Pingo Doce now, especially as the miserable woman on the check-out has now to say ‘good day’ and ‘thank you’ in Portuguese, although clearly she still finds it an inconvenience. In my second whinge in a week, I have to protest about the price of pimpanelas, you know the green spiky things that look like they have fallen from outer space, but in fact grow on vines. €4.95 A KILO! Can you believe it. These thing grow like weeds all over Madeira, and normally farmers have problems in giving them away. 

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