Mariana Leitão joined Carlos Moedas for a campaign event between Campo Pequeno and Saldanha in Lisbon, where she stated that the “Por ti, Lisboa” coalition embodies liberal values that align with Iniciativa Liberal (IL).
“I am here to give my full support to this candidacy of Carlos Moedas, to all the people who make up this candidacy,” she stated, adding her firm belief that “the people of Lisbon do not want to return to a city council governed by a left-wing front, especially one that is increasingly radical,” Mariana Leitão remarked.
According to Leitão, Carlos Moedas’s candidacy is “moderate, with concrete, objective proposals aimed at solving the problems of Lisbon’s residents.” She emphasized that the social democrat has integrated IL members into the candidate lists and discussed policies with them.
The goal, she explained, is “to ensure, with all our support, that Lisbon is not handed over to a radical left front, which we know from past experience has created numerous problems not only in Lisbon but throughout the country,” adding that this group “has an ideological obsession against the private sector,” preferring to “stigmatize them rather than partner with them.”
Four years ago, IL opted not to join the coalition. However, Mariana Leitão insisted that the current association with Carlos Moedas is not about promises of positions, even though liberals hold the fourth and eighth spot on the council list.
“This is absolutely not about jobs; it is about ideas, about our proposals, about the ideas that are now part of a program that has been thoroughly discussed between Iniciativa Liberal and Carlos Moedas,” she explained. Mariana Leitão highlighted that it is up to local structures to decide on municipal election candidacies.
“What we want is to solve people’s problems, and that is what we are doing here in Lisbon,” she stated, emphasizing that, in the capital, “Carlos Moedas has undoubtedly been an excellent advocate of liberal policies, as he has included many of them in the program presented in this election.”
[News updated at 13:38]
