The CDS-PP/Madeira stated this Tuesday that the Regional Government should be the first to provide clarifications in the Madeiran parliament regarding the fire that broke out on August 14, 2024. They hope that the hearing will clarify the timing of certain decisions.
The party highlighted in a note that.
The CDS-PP/Madeira believes that the Regional Government should be the first party interested in providing clarifications to the Madeira parliament about the latest fires. The Government takes office and is politically accountable to the Legislative Assembly and it is in this body that it must respond to questions about prevention, fire-fighting and plans to restore the island’s natural heritage.
Upcoming Parliamentary Hearings
The President of the Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque (PSD), and the Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, Pedro Ramos, will be heard in the Madeiran parliament about the fire in Maderia.
The specialized committee for Health and Civil Protection of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira approved the request of JPP for a hearing on Monday. The approval came with favorable votes from the proponent (2 votes), the PS (2 votes), and the CDS-PP (1 vote). Moreover, there was an abstention from the four PSD deputies.
The CDS-PP released a statement on Tuesday saying.
We hope that this hearing can clarify the timing of certain decisions and the timing of requests for assistance from the National Civil Protection Authority and the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
The Christian Democrats emphasize that regardless of the findings by experts in civil protection, forestry, and territorial planning in the technical commission proposed by the CDS, there are still important issues. He said that the political management and government decisions need to be explained. They added.
That is why the CDS voted in favor of hearing the President of the Government and the Secretary of Health and Civil Protection in the regional parliament.
The CDS-PP/Madeira announced on Sunday that it will present a draft legislative decree to the regional parliament to create an independent technical commission. This commission will analyze and determine the facts relating to the fire that hit the region.
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Regional Parliament and Fire Updates
The regional parliament consists of 19 deputies from the PSD, 11 from the PS, nine from the JPP, four from Chega, two from the CDS-PP, one from the IL, and one from the PAN. The PSD signed a parliamentary agreement with the CDS-PP. However, it was still insufficient to obtain an absolute majority.
A source from the regional parliament told the media that they will send the letters to those involved this Tuesday. He further explained that the date of the parliamentary hearing depends a lot on their will and speed.
The rural fire on the island of Madeira began on August 14 in the mountains of the Ribeira Brava municipality. It gradually spread to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Santana. The best part is that the President expressed solidarity with the firefighters in this difficult situation.
Today, after 13 rigorous days of continuous firefighting, the regional civil protection announced that they had completely extinguished the fire.
