“The people of Lisbon must decide what they want for the future: whether they want our coalition of moderates—focused, committed, and concrete—or a candidacy driven by radical opposition, currently embodied by this new left-wing bloc,” stated Carlos Moedas, alluding to the PS/Livre/BE/PAN coalition led by socialist Alexandra Leitão.
The social-democrat and current mayor of Lisbon spoke during the formalization of the PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition agreement — “Por ti, Lisboa” — for the municipal elections on October 12, held at the Fábrica de Unicórnios, a venue he highlighted as “special” for its role in placing the Portuguese capital at the forefront of Europe, creating thousands of jobs, and “turning the impossible into possible.”
Before Carlos Moedas spoke, contributions were made by Mário Amorim Lopes for IL, Telmo Correia for CDS-PP, and Hugo Soares for PSD.
Speaking to dozens of supporters with blue and yellow banners of the “Por ti, Lisboa” coalition, the social-democrat once again expressed gratitude to the three parties—PSD, CDS-PP, and IL—asserting that this right-leaning alliance acknowledges the work accomplished in four years of municipal governance.
The PSD mayor further commented that the choice for Lisbon in the municipal elections on October 12 is “between those who make decisions, those who act, and those who promise and claim credit for things they did not accomplish,” in reference to PS, which has claimed responsibility for part of the city’s works during the current term, especially in housing.
“We have a choice here: either to stop everything—halt ongoing projects—or to continue building Lisbon,” declared Carlos Moedas, highlighting the investment during the 2021-2025 term of 1.2 billion euros, “456 million euros more than in the previous term,” under PS leadership.
The social-democrat noted the construction of 24 municipal facilities during the current term, including 10 schools, nine nurseries, and five health centers: “These were not built in ten years, but rather completed in four years from start to finish, with much more ahead, with 13 more facilities under construction.”
“The PS claims everything as theirs, and the worst part is that they believe it […]. The PS is the party that owns what was not done,” he criticized.
Moedas praised the accomplishments of this term, citing the delivery of 2,600 homes, installation of surveillance cameras, completion of the drainage tunnel project, reduction in taxes for Lisbon residents, increase in tourist tax, and the attraction of 15 unicorns and 82 technology innovation centers to Lisbon, “creating 16,000 jobs.”
“Those who are afraid to talk about companies do not want to create jobs, and when there are no jobs, there is no wealth, and when there are no jobs, there is no distribution of that wealth. The left-wing bloc does not want unicorns; the left-wing bloc wants poverty,” accused the PSD/CDS-PP/IL candidate.
The social-democrat dedicated part of his speech to direct criticism of socialist Alexandra Leitão, the PS/Livre/BE/PAN coalition’s lead candidate for the Lisbon City Council, questioning her stance on the drainage tunnel project and her participation in a “protest against the police,” referring to the demonstration against police action on Rua do Benformoso—”Don’t back us into a corner.”
“You will never see me at a protest against the police,” Moedas stated, noting that with the former Minister of Internal Administration and current PS Secretary-General, José Luís Carneiro, he tried to reach an agreement to have more police in Lisbon, while “the current left-wing bloc candidate was at protests against the police.”
With this reference, Moedas aimed to demonstrate the variety of positions within PS, reminding that Alexandra Leitão was chosen as a candidate by the previous PS Secretary-General, Pedro Nuno Santos.
“In the next term, with everyone’s help, we will continue, wherever possible, to gradually reduce taxes and fees for Lisbon residents,” promised the social-democrat, asserting that there is “still much to give” regarding Lisbon’s governance, particularly in housing, with the construction of “nearly 5,000 homes in Vale de Chelas, Vale de Santo António, Casal do Pinto, and Quinta do Ferro,” in mobility, with the tram 16 from Terreiro do Paço to Loures and the metrobus connecting Alcântara and Benfica to Oeiras, and in security, with new community policing solutions.
In the current term (2021-2025), the Lisbon executive consists of seven members from the “Novos Tempos” coalition—PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança, seven members from the “Mais Lisboa” coalition—PS/Livre, two from the CDU, and one from the BE.
Running for the presidency of the Lisbon City Council in the municipal elections on October 12 are Alexandra Leitão (PS/Livre/BE/PAN), Carlos Moedas (PSD/CDS-PP/IL), João Ferreira (CDU—PCP/PEV coalition), Ossanda Líber (Nova Direita), Bruno Mascarenhas (Chega), and José Almeida (Volt).
