Jardim's reaction to Albuquerque's challenge

Jardim has remained silent on the subject of Albuquerque’s candidature; his response, however, is given through the Jornal da Madeira, whose editorial line is closely controlled by Jardim and faithfully mirrors his party line and propaganda style:

Albuquerque’s candidature is seen as ‘a badly calculated maneuver’ to ‘strike a blow against the PSD’. Some say Albuquerque ‘is the freemason’s ideal instrument to rupture the PSD from within.’

Sectors close to the PSD leadership warned, ‘Albuquerque risks becoming isolated, as not only does the Party leader, Alberto João Jardim, not discuss questions relating to the party in public, but Albuquerque’s image has already become damaged due to his closeness to the Christian Democrat Party in the last elections. It is now likely to deteriorate further as he is seen to be taking personal advantage of the current difficulties. The worse that could happen to Albuquerque is for him to be seen to be the candidate of the Blandys and the opposition against the PSD’.

Allusions are being made within the Party (i.e. Jardim’s network is spreading the word) that the freemasons are behind Albuquerque’s candidature and that he is also being backed by Blandy through the Diário. ‘Aside from the fact that the Blandy Group has had ties to the Mayor’s family for some time, his brother is a winemaker employed by a firm [Madeira Wine] owned by the same owners of the Diário [i.e. in which the Blandy family are shareholders], which, in a way, contributes to a closer relationship’.

This is a typical Jardim propaganda-piece: An indirect and faceless attack, smearing his rival. Jardim now describes the Mayor resorting to the same terminology he has used for the last 36 years (42 years if you take into account Jardim’s pro-dictatorship propaganda) to discredit the opposition: puppets in the hands of a grand conspiracy of foreigners and secret societies.