The Lisbon City Council has been led by Carlos Moedas since 2021. Elected by the Novos Tempos – PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança coalition, he governs without an absolute majority. The social-democrat announced his candidacy for a second term in the upcoming election on October 12. It remains uncertain whether a coalition between PSD, CDS-PP, and IL will materialize.
Carlos Moedas, a civil engineer and former European commissioner, aged 54, expressed his commitment to the citizens of Lisbon, stating that “in only four years, no one can solve the issues created by a socialist administration that lasted 14 years.”
On the left, negotiations are ongoing for a joint candidacy involving PS, BE, Livre, PAN, and the Cidadãos Por Lisboa movement, despite prior announcements of individual candidacies by socialists and bloquistas in January.
Absent from these discussions is CDU, an alliance of PCP and PEV, which was the first to announce a presidential candidate for the Lisbon City Council. In September 2024, the group declared João Ferreira, a communist, as their lead candidate. Ferreira has served in this capacity since 2013 and has been elected as councillor multiple times.
With a background in Biology and former role as a Member of the European Parliament, João Ferreira, aged 46, positions himself as an “alternative and convergence space” for those fighting “for the right to the city,” addressing issues from housing to health.
Ossanda Líber, repeating her candidacy in the capital, was named the lead candidate for Nova Direita in January. She founded the party, officialized in 2024, and is making her debut in the municipal elections. Her previous attempt was in 2021, representing the independent movement Somos Todos Lisboa.
Ossanda Líber, 47, with a career in management, claims to be “the force Lisbon needs,” promising an electoral program focused on housing and security.
In January, Alexandra Leitão was confirmed as the PS candidate, announced by the party’s then secretary-general, Pedro Nuno Santos.
A jurist and law professor, Alexandra Leitão, aged 52, served as Minister for State Modernization and Public Administration from 2019 to 2022. She asserts that “Lisbon needs real leadership that decides through dialogue, not constructed scenarios or mere propaganda,” committing to concrete measures to resolve city issues, from housing to security.
A few days later, BE announced Carolina Serrão, an actress and member of the Lisbon concelhia, representing their candidacy with the goal of “creating a political alternative that can break with the city of inequalities exacerbated by Carlos Moedas.”
BE prioritizes making Lisbon “a city for those who live and work in it, not for the profits of a few,” focusing on ensuring affordable housing, transforming mobility, investing in urban hygiene, enhancing social justice, and preparing the territory for climate changes.
Another entrant in the race is the far-right ultranationalist Ergue-te, led by the party’s honorary president, José Pinto Coelho, aged 64, aiming to “end the multiculturalism” present in the capital.
“Today, Lisbon is an occupied city, where the minority of the inhabitants are Portuguese,” argues José Pinto Coelho, a graphic designer running for Lisbon City Council for the fifth time (2005, 2007, 2009, 2017, and 2025), with the last four through the predecessor party, Partido Nacional Renovador (PNR).
In June, Chega announced municipal deputy Bruno Mascarenhas, aged 53 and with a degree in International Relations, as the lead candidate. Chega did not secure mandates in the 2021 municipal debut.
Bruno Mascarenhas previously held political roles in Lisbon’s municipalities via CDS-PP, notably in the Estrela parish. He now supports “a functional and objective city vision,” from combating corruption to “fighting against Islamization.”
With an area of 100.05 square kilometers, Lisbon had 575,739 residents in 2024, according to the National Statistics Institute.
The current municipal executive includes seven members from the Novos Tempos coalition, three from PS (originally five, but reduced after several resignations), three from Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected through PS/Livre coalition), two from PCP, one from Livre, and one from BE.
Regarding the municipal assembly, the Novos Tempos list, led by Isabel Galriça Neto (CDS-PP), was the most voted in 2021, securing 17 mandates, alongside PS/Livre. Rosário Farmhouse (PS) was elected as president of the body.
