Government Parties Want to Discontinue 2024 Fire Inquiry

Government Parties Seek To Stop Fire Investigation

Sancha Campanella, the president of the inquiry commission on the 2024 fires, emphasized that lawmakers remain fully operational and capable of drafting a report. However, this stance was met with resistance from Cláudia Perestrelo, a deputy from the PSD-M government party, who argued that neither the political climate nor the timeline allows for the careful and truthful preparation of such a document.

The committee's chairperson gave an opening statement in which she lamented that the committee's work had been interrupted for two weeks by the decision of the PSD, CDS, and CH parties, while the decision of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on the dissolution of the regional parliament was awaited. "Until the dissolution, the committee continues with its full powers," reminded the PS deputy.

Sancha Campanella believes that, had it not been for the interruption, it would have been possible to conclude the hearings.

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CDS: Report on Fire Should be Dismissed

Sara Madalena of the CDS party (government) went further, criticizing the idea of producing an incomplete or superficial document. She viewed such an effort as dismissive of the detailed meeting records already available.

JPP and PS Push Back, As Further Hearings Are Underway

In response to the accusations, Rafael Nunes (opposition) denied any political motives. He argued that suspending the commission’s work for over a month undermines the urgency of concluding the investigation. According to Nunes, a final report is essential to fully understand and address what happened. Marta Freitas of the PS (opposition) also pointed out the importance of drawing conclusions from their work, citing the situation of residents who were forced to leave their homes, as well as farmers still awaiting support after significant losses.

Sancha Campanella and the PS and JPP deputies, Marta Freitas and Rafael Nunes, understood that a partial report could be drawn up. Something that was rejected by PSD, CDS and CH as they considered that it would not be fair to present a report without the work being completed.

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She stressed the value of learning from these voices to improve future prevention efforts. However, despite holding 15 meetings and hearing from 11 key figures, the commission remains without a clear path forward. With Parliament yet to be officially dissolved, Sancha Campanella has scheduled further hearings for Thursday, maintaining that the commission’s work must continue until the very end.

Source: RTP Madeira