The documents revisited for voting have a “retroactive effect” dating back to the approval of decisions marked as “invalid” in the IGF report, as stated in a proposal signed by CML President, Carlos Moedas (PSD), and approved by the municipal executive in a private meeting convened exclusively to address this matter.
This meeting took place after the postponement of the proposal discussion in the May 30th city council meeting, following critiques from all opposition councilors, including PS, PCP, Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), Livre, and BE, concerning the absence of the CML President.
Disclosed on May 15th, the IGF inquiry into the regularity of CML meetings advocated for the annulment of nine resolutions made between June 26 and December 18, 2024, with the participation of Nuno da Rocha Correia from CDS-PP (a party governing in coalition with PSD without an absolute majority) in place of absent councilors after his resignation.
Although the IGF pointed out nine “irregular” resolutions, Carlos Moedas claimed there are only eight documents concerned, as the audit counted one proposal as two due to its two voidable points.
These eight resolutions pertain mainly to proposals in urban planning and budget alterations, as well as the Municipal Housing Charter, where the CML President cast the deciding vote after a tie.
A source from Moedas’ office conveyed to Lusa that the “administrative annulment” of these eight resolutions was unanimously approved and that each proposal was revoted, clause by clause, replicating the prior voting pattern by each party.
Lastly, the municipal executive unanimously decided to inform the Lisbon Administrative and Tax Court about the resolution of the irregularities identified by the IGF.
Prior to the vote on the CML President’s proposal, the PS councilors presented an alternative document, which was rejected. It demanded all necessary documentation on the resolutions, “clearly clarifying that the issue is adequately resolved.”
The socialist proposal was voted on alternatively, but was discarded after receiving support from six councilors, including three from PS, one from Livre, one from BE, and one from Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), against 11 in favor of the CML President’s document, including seven from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, two from PCP, and two from Citizens for Lisbon, as stated by a municipal executive source.
Despite the rejection of the socialist proposal, PS councilors highlighted their sense of responsibility in facilitating new votes and stated that “CML overcame today one of the major credibility issues of recent years,” referring to the legal instability of council resolutions, which is “solely the responsibility” of the social-democrat Carlos Moedas as the mayor.
Underlining that the CML President “is primarily responsible” for the irregular situation, PCP expressed they “had no choice but to contribute to solving a problem in which they had no involvement, but which must be addressed” to protect the dignity and interests of the Lisbon municipality.
The communists noted that the approved proposal “essentially meets the IGF recommendations outlined in their report.”
“Finally, this Friday, the CML President presented a compliant proposal aligning with IGF’s guidelines,” stated BE, a party that advocated for IGF’s audit into the regularity of CML meetings due to perceived issues with councilor substitutions under the PSD/CDS-PP leadership.
BE remarked that the original proposal to resolve the irregularities did not meet the IGF’s requirements, as it suggested the approval of documents without first annulling the prior resolutions.
Currently, Lisbon’s municipal executive, consisting of 17 members, includes seven elected from the “New Times” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança) — the only members with designated responsibilities, governing without an absolute majority — along with three from PS, three from Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), two from PCP, one from Livre, and one from BE.
