Among the 75 municipal deputies, PSD, IL, MPT, Aliança, and CDS-PP voted against, BE, Livre, PEV, PCP, two independent deputies from the Cidadãos por Lisboa movement (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), PS, and PAN abstained, while PPM and Chega voted in favor.
Accusing the Mayor of Lisbon of failing in the duty to “ensure the city’s safety,” Chega’s motion of censure was introduced following the derailment of the Glória lift, which occurred on Wednesday, resulting in 16 deaths and around two dozen injuries, involving both Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
According to the Lisbon Municipal Assembly’s Rules, motions of censure “aim to censure the municipal council’s actions” and serve to “take a stand” on matters of interest to the municipality, within the oversight competence of this body, without having the power to dismiss the municipal executive.
In presenting the motion of censure, Chega’s Bruno Mascarenhas argued that the “assembly cannot be complicit in the culture of excuses, evasion of responsibilities, and political void that has brought the city to its current state.”
The lift, he added, “transports hundreds of people daily” and “should have the strictest security guarantees,” when “it was operating in September without stable contractual coverage, in a transitional regime, with ignored alerts and deep inspections of critical areas absent,” he pointed out.
“This accident is not just a technical tragedy. It is a political and institutional failure. It is the portrait of a council obsessed with propaganda, with international ‘soundbites’,” the municipal deputy remarked, adding that “the city’s maintenance has long been sacrificed for the maintenance of political castes.”
Deputy Luís Newton, from PSD, noted that the first duty of municipal leaders is to the victims, as a sign of mourning, with dignity and serious responses, and that the motion of censure “is not a search for truth, it is not a demand for rigor,” but reveals “a lack of seriousness.”
The social democrat questioned the whereabouts of the technical analysis and union alerts, which are not materialized in any formal document, adding that Chega’s initiative aims only to create a political stage as a “guerrilla weapon,” a political irresponsibility not intended to clarify but to create a circus at the expense of 16 mortal victims, which is unacceptable, unworthy, and an insult to local democracy.
“Carlos Moedas was the first to make decisions,” Newton assured, listing the conduct of internal and external inquiries, suspension of the operation of other lifts, support for the victims’ families, and a 35% increase in Carris’s budget.
In defense of his honor, Bruno Mascarenhas claimed it was “a shame” the council’s defense is in the hands of someone accused of corruption and that the PSD has no other representative from their bench to do so.
Municipal deputy Carla Madeira (PS) criticized the mayor for not opting for “some restraint in words” at this time of mourning and demanded “full clarification” about the accident, with “total transparency” and determination of all responsibilities, both technical and political.
“This is not a moment for political opportunism,” the socialist argued, noting that technical errors have political consequences, but facts first need to be established, awaiting the conclusions of ongoing inquiries.
Natacha Amaro, from PCP, extended “particular condolences” to the colleagues of the Carris brakeman and the four workers of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa who died in the derailment, appealing for “necessary restraint in various public interventions so that emotions and current pain are not exploited or instrumentalized.”
The municipal deputy stated that “political accountability will be judged by the electorate in just a few weeks,” during the October 12 local elections.
Miguel Graça, from Cidadãos por Lisboa, justified abstaining from the motion of censure as, although the council is responsible for oversight, it is time to investigate the occurrence and determine responsibilities.
Emphasizing that such an accident cannot happen and that the brakeman did everything possible to stop the lift, Isabel Mendes Lopes from Livre criticized Chega for seeking media attention and, although not supporting the motion, made clear her lack of “confidence in Carlos Moedas to manage this city.”
Rodrigo Mello Gonçalves, from IL, argued that the moment requires “reason and calm,” rejecting political exploitation of the motion, and stating that the city needs explanations, not resignations, to ensure a tragedy like this doesn’t recur.
Martim Borges de Freitas, from CDS-PP, considered that Carlos Moedas assumed political responsibility from the outset, as “he did not turn his back, did not flee, stayed, and did what was needed,” arguing that “political responsibility is not to be confused with resignation” and that the opposition only wants “Carlos Moedas’s head.”
For deputy Claudia Madeira (PEV), it is necessary to understand what went wrong and ensure “maximum safety” for passengers, residents, and visitors to the city, while António Valente from PAN also noted that now is not “the time” for motions of censure, as the causes aren’t yet known, but he refused to vote against the proposal due to the tragic consequences of the accident.
[News updated at 18:43]
