LISBON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Paulo Estevao of Portugal's People's Monarchist Party (PPM) ended his hunger strike on Saturday after going 13 days without food.
Estevao, who represents the PPM in Corvo, an island in the autonomous region of the Azores, was on hunger strike in protest at the lack of lunch facilities at a local school.
"Right from the beginning my objective was to ensure that lunches would be provided to students, teachers and the rest of the school community," Estevao told the Lusa Portuguese News Agency.
"That has now been guaranteed and so my goal of ending this discrimination has now been achieved," he said.
However, the regional government issued a statement saying "there have been no negotiations, whether direct or through third parties, whether concluded or ongoing."
Estevao claimed that the Santa Casa de Misericordia charity had been appointed to supply Mouzinho de Silveira, the only school on the island, with meals.
But the government claimed the agreement with the charity pre-dated Estevao "embarking on the form of protest that he chose" and that it falls upon the school to initiate it.
Estevao will remain under medical observation over the weekend and have his food intake progressively increased. He is expected to return to parliamentary duties on Monday.
Estevao represents Corvo and the PPM in the Azores Legislative Assembly.
Corvo is the smallest and most north-westerly of the nine islands that make up the Azores mid-Atlantic archipelago.
