The agreement was finalized at Parque Adão Barata in Loures, attended by Livre’s spokesperson Rui Tavares, PAN’s spokesperson Inês Sousa Real, and former BE parliamentary leader and Loures mayoral candidate for 2017 and 2021, Fabian Figueiredo. The coalition, named ‘Building the Future,’ will be led by Luís Sousa.
Following the signing, the three leaders addressed the media, discussing the demolition of shanties in the Talude neighborhood in Loures, ordered by the local Municipal Council President, Socialist Ricardo Leão.
Rui Tavares criticized major parties for believing “politics is now about chasing daily trends and who gets more clicks on social media or airtime on television,” emphasizing that the coalition of Livre, BE, and PAN advocates for “good neighborliness, mutual help, and respect.”
The Livre spokesperson called for socialist votes from those who “see themselves in the legacy of great mayors like Jorge Sampaio or João Soares,” and criticized Prime Minister Luís Montenegro for “sitting on” the Housing Emergency Fund proposed by his party and approved in the State Budget for 2024, which has “over 100 million” euros.
“It exists to be used precisely for this: emergency accommodation to prevent people who miss a payment or rent from losing their homes, to prevent temporary issues from becoming huge problems because Luís doesn’t want to work and Leão doesn’t want to make him work,” he stressed.
Inês Sousa Real, PAN’s spokesperson, stated that Loures is witnessing a “betrayal of the so-called socialist values,” urging the votes of those who, “regardless of which party they voted for in previous local elections,” identify with “humanist values of respect and responsibility.”
“No one chooses to live in a shanty. (…) Gone are the days, unfortunately, when mayors were proud to hand keys to people so they could live decently in social housing, only for them to now demolish and expel people from the little shelter they had,” she stated.
Sousa Real assured that this is not the coalition of Livre, BE, PAN’s way of working, asserting it is “truly humanistic, bringing not only socialist but above all humanitarian values of progress and environmental concern.”
Fabian Figueiredo commented that by forming this coalition in Loures, Livre, BE, and PAN “send an important signal that decent people know how to unite and create programs to offer an alternative.”
“Loures urgently needs an alternative that puts human dignity at the center of policies, with decent, combative mayors who fight battles that matter in public life: ensuring housing, public transport, strong public services,” he said.
Figueiredo noted, however, that the “established power in Loures has been a scare,” recalling that in 2017, Ricardo Leão criticized the PSD for nominating André Ventura in the municipality and now “he’s echoing the same discourse” of Chega.
“This is indecent, and that’s why we are openly saying that everyone who wants decent, empathetic, humanistic, progressive, and environmental policies is welcome in this coalition,” he stated, directly appealing to socialists.
“If the PS leadership doesn’t know how to rise to the occasion and draw red lines for decency, BE, Livre, PAN, and the dozens of independents on these lists will,” he assured.
