The Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, is facing criticism for refusing to resign following the derailment of the Gloria Elevator and dismissing comparisons to the socialist Jorge Coelho, who resigned as Minister of Social Equipment after the collapse of the Entre-os-Rios bridge in 2001.
In an interview with SIC Notícias, Moedas stated that the two incidents are not comparable because Jorge Coelho’s office had received warnings about the bridge’s weaknesses before the accident, while in his case, he received no such signals concerning the Gloria Elevator.
“Political responsibility is when the politician knows and does not act,” explained the Mayor of Lisbon.
However, the Polígrafo clarified that Moedas’ statement “is not true” and the former socialist minister “was not aware of any structural problems with the Entre–os-Rios bridge,” knowing only about “pavement damage.”
Jorge Coelho resigned in the early hours of March 4, 2001, a few hours after the Hintze Ribeiro Bridge collapse, which claimed 59 lives, and was succeeded by Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues.
Ferro Rodrigues Expresses “Outrage” Over “Lies by Carlos Moedas”
One of the first critics of Carlos Moedas was indeed Ferro Rodrigues, former secretary-general of the PS.
“As a friend and successor of Jorge Coelho at the Ministry of Social Equipment, I express my outrage at the lies of Carlos Moedas,” stated Ferro Rodrigues to the Lusa agency.
According to Ferro Rodrigues, “Jorge Coelho had no information that could have indicated what happened,” and Carlos Moedas “lied.”
“Otherwise, he would have obviously prohibited access to the bridge during that terrible storm,” he added before issuing a warning.
Carlos Moedas said in the interview with SIC that Jorge Coelho’s office had received information about the weaknesses of the Entre-os-Rios bridge, whereas, in his case, he received no such signals concerning the Gloria Elevator.
Lusa | 14:14 – 08/09/2025
The current secretary-general of the socialists, José Luís Carneiro, also regretted that Carlos Moedas had “dared to offend the memory of Jorge Coelho”, considering it something “no political circumstance can justify.”
Chega (also) Criticizes Moedas for “Absolutely False” Statements
André Ventura of Chega accused Moedas of making “absolutely false” statements regarding the resignation of Minister Jorge Coelho.
“Jorge Coelho resigned on the night the Entre-os-Rios bridge collapsed with all those victims. Carlos Moedas just looked for a place to hide that night. This is the difference between politicians; some face the situation, don’t hide, while others are always looking for an escape to avoid responsibility,” he argued.
Nonetheless, Ventura did not directly call for Carlos Moedas’ resignation, stating that it is a matter for Chega’s municipal representatives and reminded that the party’s deputies in Lisbon’s Municipal Assembly will present a motion of censure against the capital’s executive on Tuesday.
The leader of Chega accused the Mayor of Lisbon today of making “absolutely false” statements about Minister Jorge Coelho’s resignation in 2021 and challenged the prime minister to address political responsibilities in the Gloria Elevator accident.
Lusa | 18:08 – 08/09/2025
Controversy Aside, City Hall Has Approved Support for Victims, Memorial, and Commission
The Lisbon City Hall has approved proposals from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, PS, and PCP regarding measures in response to the accident, including victim support and the creation of a transparency portal.
The proposals were approved “almost unanimously or unanimously in many cases” during a special city hall meeting, indicated the vice-president of the municipality, Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), noting that there was an effort to consolidate the three documents into one, which was not possible, leading to a vote on each individually.
Approved proposals include victim support, a public monitoring panel on the Lisbon City Portal, and the creation of an evaluation committee to initiate the internalization of maintenance services by Carris.
Lusa | 17:35 – 08/09/2025
It should be recalled that the Gloria Elevator, located in the center of Lisbon, derailed at 18:04 on Wednesday on Calçada da Glória. The accident resulted in 16 fatalities and over 20 injuries.
On Friday, the Judicial Police (PJ) revealed that “the nationalities of the 16 fatalities” from the accident have been “scientifically identified, with the collaboration of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences.”
The victims included five Portuguese, two South Koreans, one Swiss, three British, two Canadians, one Ukrainian, one American, and one French.
[News in development]
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