“We believe that the management of the PSD/CDS executive, which has been in power here in Cascais for 20 years, has left much to be desired, both in terms of the housing crisis and environmental attacks,” stated Alexandre Abreu in statements to Lusa news agency.
The current municipal deputy for the Left Bloc in Cascais, in the district of Lisbon, will officially present his candidacy on Sunday at the Urban Park Quinta de Rana, in the parish of São Domingos de Rana, in a ceremony attended by party leaders Inês de Sousa Real (PAN), Mariana Mortágua (BE), and Rui Tavares (Livre).
“With this crystallization of power by the PSD and CDS coalition, we believe it is possible to do much better by bringing together the best people and the best proposals in a progressive, democratic, and ecologist united front,” explained the 46-year-old candidate.
Criticizing the current town hall management led by social democrat Carlos Carreiras as “authoritarian,” Alexandre Abreu identifies housing, environment, and mobility as the most pressing areas.
“Housing is an absolute urgency, a priority for our municipality. Cascais has consistently ranked first or second among municipalities with the highest rents and house prices,” he pointed out.
For the candidate, the solution in this area goes beyond more construction to include the use of “other tools” and “support.”
“The town hall can further support the creation and emergence of housing cooperatives. It can penalize vacant properties much more severely. This would immediately put much more housing onto the rental market,” he argued.
In terms of the environment, Alexandre Abreu cites urbanization projects at Quinta dos Ingleses in Carcavelos and the requalification of the Tires aerodrome, arguing for the need to reverse them.
“The issue of Quinta dos Ingleses is absolutely central to us. We still believe it is possible to stop the process of destruction at Quinta dos Ingleses, which is truly being devastated and deforested to make way for luxury residential developments,” he criticized.
Mobility is another priority for the candidate, who highlights accessibility problems between the coastal and inland parishes of the municipality.
“Currently, many people living inland can take 45 minutes to an hour to travel a few kilometers to reach the Cascais train line because the bus routes end up passing through a whole set of places, making it impractical for people’s lives,” he noted.
The Cascais executive is composed of seven members from the Viva Cascais coalition (PSD/CDS-PP), three from the Todos por Cascais coalition (PS/PAN/Livre), and one from Chega.
Alongside Alexandre Abreu, candidacies have also been announced in the municipality by Nuno Piteira Lopes (PSD/CDS-PP), João Ruivo (PS), João Rodrigues dos Santos (Chega), Carlos Rabaçal (CDU), Manuel Simões de Almeida (IL), João Maria Jonet (independent), and António Pinto Pereira (independent, supported by Nova Direita and Nós, Cidadãos!).
The local elections will take place on October 12.
