The general secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Paulo Raimundo, stated on Tuesday that Prime Minister Luís Montenegro “lives in a bubble” and highlighted that the municipality of Almada has “two thousand deteriorated homes” on government land.
The issue arises from the Prime Minister and PSD leader claiming that shantytowns and slums have mostly reemerged in socialist and communist municipalities.
“The Prime Minister lives in a bubble. It pains me to say this, but every statement is off the mark,” began Paulo Raimundo, speaking to journalists in Porto, in response to Luís Montenegro’s comments.
“There are two thousand shanties, two thousand dilapidated homes, within the territory of IHRU (Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation), in this case, in Almada,” which is a direct responsibility of the Government,” he added.
Paulo Raimundo further emphasized that “if there is a municipality where, unfortunately, the number of people living in unworthy conditions is significant, it is Lisbon,” where “11,500 households live in unworthy conditions.”
“There are no words left to describe the Prime Minister’s affront. Every time he talks about housing, he shoots himself in the foot. I know that the Prime Minister lives in that world where 2,300 euros is considered moderate rent, but that’s not the reality of the country. He should focus on solving the housing issue across the entire territory,” he stressed.
He sarcastically remarked, “The Prime Minister is out of touch. No, that’s not true. I apologize. He’s quite in touch, with the banks and real estate funds. There he never misses.”
On Tuesday, during a lunch with all the mayors of the Lisbon district, only independents Isaltino Morais (Oeiras) and Sérgio Galvão (Torres Vedras) were absent, Luís Montenegro argued that social-democratic mayors “do not stand by” when faced with the problem of shantytowns and slums.
“These candidates we have here are not those who stand by and watch the resurgence of shantytown clusters. There is no need to shy away from calling things what they are: shantytowns, slums,” he stated.
The Prime Minister also pointed out that this type of housing had been “eradicated by a government with the same ideological inspiration,” referring to administrations led by Cavaco Silva.
“They have returned slowly, here and there, on this side and across, especially – it must also be said – in municipalities governed by the Socialist Party and the Communist Party. It is very curious to observe that this new movement of resurgence of slums and shantytowns occurred in municipalities managed by the Socialist and Communist parties,” he accused.
Montenegro reiterated the defense of recent government measures in the housing sector, emphasizing that the fiscal support for construction for rental covers rents “from 400 euros” up to 2,300 euros and mentioned that in many municipalities in the Lisbon district, many cannot afford the high rents that are common there.
