The socialist candidate for the presidency of Lisbon City Council (CML), Alexandra Leitão, reiterated on Monday, September 8, the need for further explanations regarding the accident involving the Elevador da Glória, which resulted in 16 deaths and over 20 injuries. She refrained from immediately calling for the resignation of Carlos Moedas.
“At this stage, I am only asking for more clarifications and the determination of responsibilities. I will not say more than that. This is not political maneuvering. It is necessary to restore public confidence in municipal equipment and to honor the victims. It is the minimum,” she stated while speaking to journalists in Lisbon.
Although she “did not demand, and will not demand, given the current data, the resignation of engineer Carlos Moedas,” Alexandra Leitão noted that “following the tragedy, there have been 96 hours, four days, of inaction from the mayor of Lisbon.”
“He did not convene the city executive. The meeting was held today at the initiative of another party. He went to the Council of Ministers for reasons unclear, did not address the people of Lisbon except yesterday, and when he did, it was to insult rather than provide solutions,” she claimed, asserting that the PS presented several measures to the CML today.
“An office to support victims, conducting audits on the inspection protocols of the elevators, as these clearly failed. I’m not blaming anyone, but this is an objective fact that needs addressing,” she said.
Moreover, since “the elevators will be out of service for a long period,” she stressed the importance of finding alternative means of transport, involving the Order of Engineers, technicians, and universities to develop solutions.
The PS candidate, supported by Livre, Bloco de Esquerda, and PAN, took the opportunity to quote “a fact-check” that confirmed what she had stated to “various TV channels.” “The letter Carlos Moedas made public, claiming a 30% increase in the maintenance of Carris, is misleading because, in reality, as demonstrated, the investment in the maintenance of that type of elevators was 4%, which means, for someone who puts so much emphasis on communication, it’s a communication error,” she remarked.
PCP Proposes Evaluation Committee to “Enhance Safety”
Meanwhile, João Ferreira from the communist party, a councilor of the municipality, revealed that the PCP, which proposed today’s extraordinary meeting, presented a set of measures to the city executive regarding the derailment of the Elevador da Glória.
“We proposed the formation of an evaluation committee, which includes members of Carris municipal services, representatives of workers’ organizations, and institutions from the national scientific and technological system, to strengthen inspection and maintenance conditions,” the former PCP MEP stated, speaking to journalists after the meeting.
João Ferreira noted that the objective is also to address “the concerns highlighted in the note from the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aeronautical and Rail Accidents (GPIAAF)” and achieve “a more precise definition of existing redundancies, proposing new elements if necessary to reinforce operation security at this level.”
On the social network X, the party shared these and other measures presented at today’s meeting.
You can see the PCP proposal at the CML meeting of September 8, 2025
Here: https://t.co/cprqdGBkwr pic.twitter.com/JqJbyUwTQk— CDU Lisboa (@CduLisboa) September 8, 2025
[News updated at 13:57]
