# Miguel Albuquerque

Miguel Filipe Machado de Albuquerque (born 4 May 1961) is a Portuguese monarchist politician of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the current President of the Regional Government of Madeira. He took office as leader of the PSD of Madeira on 10 January 2015. He was a former mayor (presidente da Câmara in Portuguese) of Funchal, Madeira. Albuquerque likes gardening and used to grow many types of roses in his Rose Garden and the Quinta do Arco.
He was indicted in January 2024 for alleged active and passive corruption, embezzlement, receiving or offering undue advantages, abuse of power and influence peddling. The mayor of Funchal, Pedro Calado, and two businessmen were arrested in the same case and later released with accusations pending further investigations.

## Political Career
### Mayor of Funchal

As a mayor he signed an agreement to the twinning of the city of Funchal and Gibraltar on 13 May 2009 by the then mayor of Gibraltar Solomon Levy, who had been an Evacuee during the Evacuation of the Gibraltarian civilian population during World War II from Gibraltar to Madeira. Levy then had a meeting with the then President of Madeira Alberto João Jardim.
In April 2012 Miguel opened a road in St Helier, Jersey, which was named Rue de Funchal, after his native city.

## President of the Regional Government
### 2015 Regional Legislativa Elections

In the 29 March 2015 regional elections Albuquerque's centre right party PSD have held on to power after an overall majority with 44.4% of the votes and winning 24 seats in the regional parliament. It was the 11th time in a row the PSD has won an absolute majority in Madeira.

#### Background into the Election

This election was the first in which PSD's former leader and president of the region, Alberto João Jardim's name did not appear on the ballot, as he stated in 2011, meaning he would step down as the president and leader of PSD-Madeira in 2015. Albuquerque was then elected on 29 December 2014 as president and leader of PSD-Madeira, but he stated that he would not automatically assume the position as president of the Autonomous Region of Madeira without any elections, though parliament was dissolved. In accordance with the law, once parliament is dissolved, the President is obliged go to Lisbon to join a meeting of the Portuguese Council of State and to explain why parliament was dissolved. The president at the time Alberto Joao Jardim was called to attend, which he did and he asked Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, to call an election in Madeira, which he did so for the 29th of March 2015.

### Corruption Scandal

Miguel Albuquerque is a suspect in criminal proceedings for corruption, economic participation in business and malfeasance, in addition to possible violation of community rules on adjudication. The investigation was opened in 2019, in Funchal. At issue is the possible relationship between Miguel Albuquerque's private real estate business and the direct adjustment of the Madeira Free Trade Zone concession to the Pestana Group. On March 17, 2021, following an anonymous complaint, several services of the Government of Madeira were searched, with “facts likely to be part of the practice of crimes of malfeasance, corruption and economic participation in business” at stake. Elements of the Portuguese Judiciary Police and the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP) also carried out, on May 13, 2021, searches at the facilities of the Government of Madeira, as part of the tender relating to the maritime connection between Funchal and Portimão, confirmed the executive regional.
On January 24, 2024, the Portuguese Judiciary Police carried out around 130 searches, in Madeira and on the Portuguese mainland, as part of three legal proceedings. Miguel Albuquerque was named a defendant on the same day by the Public Prosecutor's Office, accused of 8 crimes: active corruption, passive corruption, malfeasance, undue receipt of an advantage, influence peddling, abuse of power, economic participation in business and an attack on the rule of law. As part of the same processes, the Mayor of Funchal, Pedro Calado, and two businessmen, Avelino Farinha from Grupo AFA and Custódio Correia from Grupo Socicorreia, were arrested on the same day.

#### Aftermath

Consequently, he resigned from the position of president of the Regional Government of Madeira, remaining in the position until his successor took office before the Representative of the Republic. He ran again for the position of president of PSD Madeira, having been re-elected on March 21, 2024 against candidate Manuel António Correia, and contested the 2024 regional elections as head of the PSD list. The PSD came first again, losing two deputies and remaining without an absolute majority, but Miguel Albuquerque was again appointed president of the XV Regional Government of Madeira, which was approved by the Legislative Assembly of Madeira in June 2024.

### 2024 Political Crisis

Despite winning the 2024 regional legislative elections, Albuquerque failed to get the Madeira Regional Government Budget for the FY2025 approved due a to a motion of no confidence tabled by Chega in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira and approved by the Opposition. The grounds for the motion were the fact that in light of the corruption scandal and parallel investigations unrelated to it 5 members of the Regional Government were deemed arguidos in judicial investigations pertaining corruption.
The above led to Manuel António Correia to try, once again, to trigger for internal elections within PSD and requesting the President of the Republic to delay regional legislative elections until the party has a new regional leader.

## Writings
### Books

* Funchal, sobre a Cidade - Colectânea de artigos publicados, Quetzal Editores, 1996;
* Espelho Múltiplo - Política e Modernidade, Edicarte Editora, 1999;
* Roseiras Antigas de Jardim, Alêtheia Editora, 2006;
* Crónicas dum Lugar-Comum, Alêtheia Editora, 2010.