“Now, what is certain is that there is a dialogue. […] The parties we continue to engage with are those who have shown willingness [to form a coalition], namely PS, BE, and PAN,” stated Rui Tavares, noting that the CDU (PCP/PEV) was also invited to participate but expressed unwillingness.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, the spokesperson for Livre and current councilor in Lisbon City Council (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) declined to confirm a coalition candidacy in the upcoming local elections scheduled for September to October.
“To say it is certain is to put the cart before the horse. There is a dialogue, it is constructive, it is very important, we want it to succeed, but it is not finalized yet,” emphasized Rui Tavares, indicating that the negotiations are still ongoing.
Without being able to predict a completion date for a joint candidacy process of left-wing political forces for the Lisbon City Council, but pointing to before August holidays, the Livre spokesperson anticipated: “We hope for this convergence very soon.”
“For a long time, Livre has considered it important to have a progressive and ecological convergence in Lisbon to end Carlos Moedas’s (PSD) governance, which has been completely erratic and lacking strategy,” highlighted Rui Tavares, amidst unconfirmed reports of a possible re-election bid by the social democrat Carlos Moedas (elected by the PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança coalition in the 2021 local elections, without an absolute majority), as well as a potential coalition agreement between PSD and IL.
Lusa inquired with the PS campaign team for Lisbon City Council, led by Alexandra Leitão, about a possible coalition agreement with Livre, BE, PAN, and the political movement Cidadãos Por Lisboa, receiving a response declining to provide any information for now.
About a month ago, BE disclosed it was in talks with Livre and PAN to present “convergence projects” in the upcoming local elections and expressed “full willingness” for a left alliance in Lisbon.
From the perspective of the Livre spokesperson, if a coalition materializes, the candidacy should be headed by the socialist Alexandra Leitão because “she is well-equipped to lead this convergence” and represents the PS, “a party that historically has achieved the most significant results” in local elections, including winning the Lisbon City Council presidency.
Rui Tavares also highlighted that Alexandra Leitão is someone with whom Livre has worked “very well” on various occasions in political activities, “whether parliamentary or already in the local government domain.”
However, he added that the decision on who leads a possible coalition candidacy also depends on “programmatic issues, which are primarily important to Lisbon residents, and forming a team that assures people that the city’s problems will be solved.”
When asked if he would be part of a candidacy for Lisbon City Council, the Livre spokesperson assured he would not be a candidate, noting the party is currently undergoing a primary election process to choose candidates for the local elections, in which he did not participate, justifying the decision by the party’s representation in the Assembly of the Republic.
“With much regret, at this stage, I will not continue in Lisbon’s local politics […]. I will certainly participate in the campaign [election], without any doubt, but I will not be a candidate,” he declared, stating he will continue contributing to the city’s development “as a grassroots activist.”
So far, candidacies for the Lisbon City Council presidency have been announced by Alexandra Leitão (PS), João Ferreira (CDU), Carolina Serrão (BE), Ossanda Líber (Nova Direita), José Pinto Coelho (Ergue-te), and Bruno Mascarenhas (Chega).
