The proposal by the Socialist Party (PS) was discussed and voted on in a public city council meeting, following comments from the Municipal Director of Housing, Marta Sotto Maior, regarding the lottery for the 29th edition of the Accessible Rent Program, which involves 133 homes.
The director explained that the lottery was conducted prematurely due to “human error” and was annulled “in less than 24 hours.”
Despite this clarification, PS councilor Pedro Anastácio stated that “many doubts” remain about the house allocation process, citing “serious procedural irregularities that naturally impair the principles of transparency and equal access,” thus challenging the council’s credibility.
In response, the PS advocated for “the immediate hiring of an external and independent audit” of the 29th lottery in the Accessible Rent Program. This audit would cover planning, execution, the lottery’s annulment, and preparation for the new draw scheduled for Friday, June 27.
Unanimously approved, the proposal also includes a computer audit of the online platform ‘Habitar Lisboa’, following a suggestion by the PCP.
A public report is to be issued detailing the full extent of the damage to affected applicants, including potential loss of housing, incurred costs, and other direct consequences of the lottery’s reversal. The council is also to explore mechanisms for compensating or providing urgent housing support to candidates disadvantaged by the lottery’s annulment.
An additional approved measure requires the council to commit to reviewing and strengthening control, validation, and transparency mechanisms for all future procedures within the Accessible Rent Program.
The discussion and vote on the PS proposal took place outside the agenda, with the absence of city council president Carlos Moedas (PSD), who was present initially during the director’s clarification but left before returning for the public session.
The absence of the council president during this discussion was criticized by both PS and PCP, although Carlos Moedas had indicated at the start of the meeting that he would accept the proposal for an external audit.
According to the director of housing, the issue with the 29th Accessible Rent Program lottery occurred on June 16, after the closure of applications at 5:00 PM. The municipal technicians had informed applicants that the draw would occur the following day.
However, while conducting tests on the platform, the lottery button was “inadvertently” clicked, explained Marta Sotto Maior, acknowledging the error and expressing that the 133 applicants notified of house allocations deserved an apology, “but nothing beyond that.”
In addition to nullifying the lottery, Housing Councilor Filipa Roseta (PSD) initiated an internal inquiry on June 17, running for 30 days, and launched a public procedure last Friday to hire an external entity to certify house allocation lotteries.
Another measure introduced requires that lotteries commence with the simultaneous intervention of “two people pressing the button, instead of one,” she revealed.
PCP councilor João Ferreira deemed the director’s explanations “insufficient” and regarded the lottery problem as “serious,” highlighting system vulnerabilities needing correction. He insisted that “credibility must be bulletproof” and that the council should wait for the internal inquiry and external audit outcomes before conducting a new lottery.
Floresbela Pinto, of Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), also argued against holding another lottery until the analysis of the 29th Accessible Rent Program lottery was completed.
From the BE, Ricardo Moreira remarked that “the system must be error-proof,” advocating that “annulment and an internal inquiry are not enough; an audit is necessary.”
