The leader of Chega, André Ventura, addressed journalists at the Assembly of the Republic before a meeting with the Firefighters’ League, reiterating his stance that the mayor of Lisbon should take responsibility following a fatal accident. He challenged both the Prime Minister and the PSD leader to voice their opinions on the matter.
“I am specifically addressing the Prime Minister of Portugal because he leads the party to which Engineer Carlos Moedas belongs. What is your perspective on this? What is your opinion on this? Can 16 people die, and no one be held accountable? Can 16 people die and we turn a blind eye as if nothing happened? Isn’t there a political responsibility here that, in a democracy, has always been stated must be assumed and shared? Are we going to look the other way and pretend people didn’t die?” Ventura questioned.
Ventura also criticized Moedas’ Sunday night remarks regarding former socialist minister Jorge Coelho’s resignation after the 2001 Entre-os-Rios bridge collapse, describing them as “absolutely false.”
“Jorge Coelho resigned on the night the Entre-os-Rios bridge collapsed, with all those fatalities. Carlos Moedas was scrambling to find somewhere to hide that night. This is what differentiates politicians; there are those who face the situation, those who don’t hide, and those who are always looking for an escape to avoid responsibility,” Ventura asserted.
On Sunday, during a SIC interview about the fatal Glória Elevator accident in Lisbon, Carlos Moedas was confronted with the example of the late socialist Jorge Coelho in 2001, who resigned from his role as Minister for Social Equipment following the Douro River bridge collapse.
Carlos Moedas rejected the comparison, stating that Jorge Coelho’s office had received prior information highlighting the bridge’s fragility, whereas in the case of the Glória Elevator, he had not received any warning.
“Political responsibility is when the politician knows and does not act,” justified the mayor of Lisbon.
Today, the Chega leader accused the social-democratic mayor of “a lack of a sense of responsibility” and hiding, arguing that “genuine politicians, with integrity, do not hide in moments of crisis, do not hide in moments of responsibility, but assume it.”
André Ventura stated that he himself “would know how to act,” suggesting it could be “through action, assuming that responsibility in this way,” or “by proactively announcing future actions.”
Ventura did not directly call for Carlos Moedas’ resignation, noting that it is a matter for Chega officials, and reminded that the party’s deputies in the Lisbon Municipal Assembly will present a censure motion against the capital’s executive on Tuesday.
The Glória Elevator in Lisbon derailed last Wednesday, resulting in 16 fatalities and injuring around 20 others, including both Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
The Glória Elevator, operated by Carris, links the Restauradores to the São Pedro de Alcântara Garden in the Bairro Alto area, along a route of approximately 265 meters and is a popular attraction among tourists.
