Is Rua Fernão de Ornelas, going to become little India??
The party that gave impetus to the campaign on the ground today wants to elect a municipal deputy and a councilor in Funchal.
The New Right (ND) candidacy for Funchal City Council is currently campaigning in the ‘downtown’ area of Funchal, more specifically on Rua Dr. Fernão de Ornelas, where the candidate, Paulo Azevedo, says he has received complaints related to the pressure exerted by immigration on landlords.
“The business owners here on Rua Dr. Fernão de Ornelas started knocking us down at the door asking for help,” Paulo Azevedo begins by alleging. The threat in question? What seems to be a common target for right-wing parties in Portugal: immigration from Hindustan (a region in South Asia home to countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka).
“There are Indians and Nepalese approaching landlords with proposals to raise rents, even triple them. There are business owners here on Rua Dr. Fernão de Ornelas whose contracts are expiring and who have already received letters saying they will not be renewed,” denounces the candidate for Funchal City Council.
The ‘bogeyman’ is always the same: “What’s happening here, we’ve seen happen elsewhere: we have examples in France, in Germany, all over Europe. Are we now going to allow this to happen on an island like ours, in such a small city with its own identity?” asks the New Right’s front-runner, although he assures that his party is not against immigration.
The remaining party members hand out flyers to hurried passersby. Some politely decline, others—like Carmen—accept the leaflet but admit to DIÁRIO that they’ve never heard of the party. Indeed, Paulo Azevedo, 51, only joined the New Right in 2024 and was previously a member of the PCP.
Some (few), like Luciana, who lives in the highlands, stop to listen and share their ‘pains’. This resident of Chamorra (Santo António parish) is still waiting for the promised support to deal with the damage caused by the flood of February 20, 2010, to her home.
Apparently disappointed with the government (center-right), but also with the left, he says that seeing “little newcomers [in politics] is a joy” and receives the card with Paulo Azevedo’s personal number, which the 51-year-old businessman makes a point of distributing to voters with whom he stops to talk.
Other measures advocated by the ND include policies to encourage young people to settle in the municipality of Funchal, increase the birth rate, and foster private investment.
Regarding the electoral objective for these local elections, Paulo Azevedo assumes that the party wants to “elect a municipal deputy and a councilor” in Funchal.
“We are a new party and we are entering Madeira to try to change the mindset of Madeirans and make them understand that this is not a quality of life,” he summarizes.